The Ghost and Ms Muir
by Cazzychaps
Summary: Set in the present day, a young woman rents an old ranch house for the summer to write her first novel. The ranch is the Ponderosa, and she soon finds out that it's inhabited by the ghost of a past owner: Adam Cartwright.
1. Chapter 1

"**This one's nice. View of the ocean, close to restaurants and shops, its not a bad price."**

** "Hmm." Lucy Muir wrinkled her nose up at her friend's choice of rental house.**

** "What's that Hmm for? You've got to find something suitable. You know, close to civilization."**

** "But it has no atmosphere. It looks like it was built in the excessive 80's with a décor to match.**

** "I don't know. It's not that bad," Sarah argued as she flicked through the pictures posted on the net.**

** "Anyway, it's not what I want. I'm writing about the Wild West, so I want something western. I want to feel what I'm writing about."**

** "You'll have to go to a whole other state for that. And I won't visit you in some hick town thousands of miles away." Sarah clicked the mouse and went back to the home page of the real estate rental site.**

** "I won't be that far away. I can't afford it for one."**

** "Well you're not going to find any sort of western ranch house very close to San Francisco. Not one that isn't a museum, anyway." **

** "There'll be something. There's lots of old gold towns around northern California."**

** "Why couldn't you have a more normal hobby? Nobody's interested in the history of the west any more."**

** "I am," Lucy pouted. "I'm going to write something inspiring, something that will peak people's interest in their own history again, and something that will kick start my writing career."**

** "Yeah, well, while you're hiding away in a primitive cabin somewhere writing, I'll be down the beach this summer working on my tan." Sarah stretched and got up from the computer. **

** "Fine. I'll keep looking, then." Lucy did another google search for her elusive summer retreat.**

** "Even if you found something historical like what you want, the chances of you affording it on your savings is next to zero. Mark didn't leave you with much."**

** "I'm well aware of my lack of funds," Lucy snapped.**

** "Sorry," Sarah replied. "I just think you need to get a good job in the city and reestablish yourself financially first. Not go running off to try and fulfil some fantasy that you can become a successful writer."**

** "I was good once, in college. Remember? I was voted the most likely to get published before I was thirty."**

** "Ah ha! That's what this is about. You're thirty in six month's time, aren't you? You're having a mid-life crisis.**

** "It's hardly mid, not yet." Lucy sighed and looked at her oldest friend. "I've just come out of a five year relationship on the loosing end. I think I need to take time out for myself for a while, that's all. I'd like to try and recapture a dream or two of my own. I know it's probably crazy and dumb and a waste of time. But it's my time for once. I need to try, just for me."**

** Sarah smiled. "Okay. I understand, I think. Nothing like having a guy suck the life out of you. Go, get your great western novel done. I'll be the first in line to buy a copy. Autographed, of course!"**

** "Thanks. And thanks again for letting me stay with you while I sort my life out." **

** "You know you are always welcome. And when you're done with this dream, I'll be here with a room for you so you can join the real world again."**

"**Thanks." Lucy jumped up and hugged Sarah. She was lucky to have such a good friend to help her through this rough patch.**

"**I'm going to check out what's on TV and leave you to your hunting," Sarah said with moisture in her eyes.**

"**Okay." Lucy sighed and watched her best friend leave the room. She loved Sarah like a sister, and she'd saved her life letting her stay with her since Mark kicked her out of their apartment in place of a nineteen-year-old bartender.**

** One minute she'd been wrapped up in the life he'd carved for her and the next she'd been out on her ear and all alone. It had made her rethink her priorities.**

** "I'm going to do something for myself this time," she said out loud as she turned back to the computer. **

** With renewed excitement, she scrolled down her search results. The heading 'ranch house cheap rental' caught her eye. Lucy clicked on the link and waited for the page to load.**

** Her eyes bugged out when the exterior shot popped up. Impressive wasn't the word for it. Majestic was a better choice.**

** A true log ranch house, it was two story with a porch at the front. It's dark timber walls were weather beaten but full of character.**

** She clicked on the additional picture that was supposed to be the living room, but it was too dark to see the detail very well. It looked large inside, with a lot of chunky wooden furniture. Any kind of furniture was a plus, however, as Lucy didn't own any. It had all ended up belonging to Mark.**

** "Where are you?" The next thing was that it was bound to be in the middle of Montana or somewhere equally inaccessible.**

** "Lake Tahoe?" Lucy's eyebrows shot up. Tahoe? There weren't any ranches there. Just casinos and fancy ski resorts. She and Mark had been there for the occasional weekend over the years. Best of all, it was only a few hours drive away.**

** She clicked on the rental price link. Amazingly it was under the modest limit she'd set herself. It had to be a mistake, surely?**

** Lucy wrote down the real estate's phone number. Being Tahoe, she might even find a part-time job to help fund her stay. With renewed hope, Lucy got her cell phone and called the number.**

**A week later, she found herself on I-80 driving steadily toward the mountains. As she negotiated the Sacramento traffic, she hoped that everything would work out as planned. She still couldn't believe that the ranch house was hers for the summer. The agent had even been surprised at her enthusiasm.**

** As she drove into the Sierra Nevada's, Lucy marveled at the mountain scenery. Her mind drifted back to her history classes and the pioneering mountain men that had forged this country. She might even set her novel around stories from this area. **

** Before she knew it, Lucy found herself in Incline Village, the small town where the estate agent had his office. She had the feeling this was going to be the start of something incredible.**

** "Hi, I'm Lucy Muir. I called from San Francisco about renting the ranch house along the east side of the lake."**

** The woman behind the desk looked at her as if she had two heads.**

** "Really?"**

** "Yes," Lucy said unperturbed. "I spoke to Mr Govers."**

** "I'll get him," said the still surprised receptionist.**

** "Ah, Ms Muir. Still wanting to look at that farmhouse? As I said on the phone, I have much more comfortable rentals closer to town."**

** "No thank you. The ranch is just what I'm looking for."**

** "I'll take you to look at it. You might change your mind after seeing it though."**

** Lucy shook her head and wondered why they were all so negative. Of course, they'd want a higher commission than the one the ranch would give them. Renting their luxury lakeside vacation homes would be much more lucrative.**

** Lucy looked keenly ahead as Mr Govers drove sedately around the northern end of Lake Tahoe. The brilliant blue lake sparkled under the cloudless spring sky. She ignored the modern condos he pointed out along the way.**

"**This is the turn-off," he finally said. They had gone only a few miles from Incline Village, so it wasn't so remote after all. Lucy was secretly pleased about that. **

** They followed a rough dirt road that wound it's way through a thicket of pine trees. It wasn't overly steep but by the time Lucy saw a barn ahead, she could also look back and see the lake below.**

** Then, finally Mr Govers took one last turn into a large overgrown yard. On one side was the barn she'd seen from the driveway. On the other was the house.**

** Lucy gasped as she got out of the car and stared. It was everything she'd dreamed and more. Even larger than she suspected from the photo, it was a western writer's dream. **

** "This is it," the agent stated unnecessarily.**

** "It's fantastic. Just what I wanted."**

** "Wait until you've been inside before you make up your mind."**

"**Why so negative?"**

"**I've had several tenants think they wanted to stay here and then change their minds almost straight away. I'm just trying to save you the trouble of moving in and then realizing it's . . .wrong."**

"**I'm not as fickle as that, Mr Govers. I'm very determined."**

"**So be it." **

**She followed him as he walked across to the front porch. What was the history of this place? This was a large house. The family must have been very successful in their day.**

"**How big is the ranch?" Lucy asked.**

"**Around two hundred acres."**

"**Is that all?"**

"**Oh, when it was a full working ranch I believe it covered most of the east shore of the lake right down to Virginia City and south to Carson. It was quite a spread in its day."**

"**What happened?"**

"**The locals say after the last of the original family passed on back in the 20's it was left to next of kin. Through marriage it got willed to the ancestors of the current owner. He's a real estate developer and has broken up and sold most of the land over the last twenty years or so. This final piece is slated for redevelopment next year. This land is very valuable as you can appreciate."**

"**So what will happen to the ranch house?"**

"**It'll be bulldozed, I guess. It's not worth anything."**

**Lucy saddened. How could a beautiful piece of history such as this house be worthless? As they arrived onto the solid timber porch, Mr Govers turned the key in the large, old fashioned lock. The latch clicked open and the door squeaked as he opened it up. A cold, musty smell greeted her as she took a step into the house. **

"**All the curtains are drawn. Let me open them up."**

**Lucy stared all around. The great room they stood in was large and imposing. A massive stone fireplace rose from floor to ceiling opposite the door. The floorboards creaked underneath her shoes. All the furniture was covered in dusty sheets and cobwebs clung to the high ceilings. As the drapes opened and light spilled into the large space, Lucy watched the dust of time float into the beams. She felt a shiver of excitement and a little fear as she took it all in. **

"**The kitchen is through here, but don't expect anything too fancy. As I said on the phone, it's very old fashioned. But the power's on and the fridge is okay. The bathroom has seen better days though. It's just off the kitchen here. **

**Lucy followed him into the large, square kitchen. A wood stove was the focal point. Heavy iron pots and pans hung from hooks above the fireplace. An old fashioned sink stood next to it.**

"**Not the most modern appliances, but there is a microwave." **

"**It'll do fine," she said, excited that she would get to experience some real early western hardships. She'd like to try to cook on a wood stove.**

"**There's a generator in the barn as a back-up in case the power goes out. It's not always reliable."**

"**Do the gas lamps still work?" she asked as they walked across the large living room again.**

"**I think so, but be careful. Don't burn it down. On the other hand, you'd probably be doing the owner a favor."**

"**Never! I can't believe anyone would want to knock this down. It's living history."**

"**You can say that again," mumbled Mr Govers as they reached the staircase. "Seen enough then?"**

"**I want to see upstairs."**

"**There are three bedrooms up there but there's a perfectly nice room off the dining area down here. This is where the tenants usually stay. Come and look." He steered Lucy back to a door beside the dining table. It was a nice room, clearly the bed had been updated as well as the floor coverings.**

"**Yeah, it's nice, but I want to see upstairs. I'd love to do my writing while looking out that window that you can see from the yard."**

"**Of course you do," he said in a sarcastic tone. "Don't say I didn't warn you."**

**Lucy, quite annoyed by his attitude now, marched back to the staircase and up ahead of Mr Govers.**

"**Anyone would think you're afraid of this old place," she said with a touch of arrogance. At the top landing she turned left. A long corridor ran to the bedrooms. As she walked along she got a strange sensation that she was being watched. Not from behind, as Mr Govers was close behind her. It felt like someone was ahead of her, watching her from the shadows.**

"**This is the bedroom with the window facing the yard. Mr Govers just stood in the corridor staring at the door.**

"**Thank you!" Lucy opened the door and strode in. The room was very dark. The window to the outside world was covered with heavy drawn drapes. So, Lucy went to it and pulled the curtains open.**

**Light streamed in and highlighted the cloud of dust the drapes harbored.**

"**I wouldn't disturb too much in this room if I were you."**

"**Why not, it's a fine room. A bit masculine maybe, but look at this beautiful oak writing desk. It's exactly what I need to work." Lucy turned to her left and ran her hand along the smooth, cold wood and shivered with excitement. A previous resident had enjoyed the view from their desk just as she planned to.**

"**There's the master room next door. It's larger and has a four poster bed."**

"**This is a large bed. I don't need a bigger one."**

"**_Get out_!"**

"**Excuse me?" Lucy wheeled around after Mr Govers demanding words. **

"**I didn't say anything."**

"**Yes you did, you told me to get out."**

"**That wasn't me, Ms Muir."**

"_**Get out!"**_

**Lucy felt cold all over as she heard it again. And Mr Govers was right. It wasn't him that said it. The voice was deeper with a more menacing tone.**

"**Who said that?" she asked in a small voice.**

"**Him." Govers glanced to a painting hanging on the far wall of the room. It was a portrait of an imposing looking man, perhaps in his mid-fifties; a grim expression on his handsome face. He was dressed in a dark suit, silver vest and string tie. He had a neatly trimmed salt and pepper beard, very similar to other paintings and photographs she'd seen of men around the turn of the century.**

"**Him?" Lucy squeaked.**

"**Yeah, him!" **

"_**Out!" **_

**Suddenly, the curtains behind her flew back across the window plunging the room into darkness.**

"**Yikes." Lucy rushed for the door and made it out behind Mr Govers, just in time to hear the door slam itself behind her.**

"**Is this the real reason nobody stays up here?" she said as she and Mr Govers ran back down the stairs.**

"**Yeah. Nobody likes a haunted rental."**

**Lucy, now back in the large living room, felt her courage return. "Haunted. I never expected such a thing."**

"**Most people don't. It's a little hard to explain, so I just let people experience it. They soon agree that this isn't our best deal. So I'm sure you prefer one of those condos now." Mr Govers headed for the door. Lucy followed more slowly, considering her options. Okay, it might have an unwanted presence, but this place was everything she'd dreamed of. And she was determined.**

"**Not at all. I want this place more than ever."**

**Mr Govers eyebrows went up. "You what? You're crazy, lady. You'll last one night, that's all."**

"**I might surprise you. I'm pretty stubborn when I make up my mind about something." She crossed her arms and looked at the landing at the top of the stairs.**

"**You have to pay a month's rent in advance then. Non-refundable."**

"**No problem," Lucy said with more confidence than she felt. "This is my dream house and no pesky ghost is going to deprive me of it."**

"**Don't say I didn't warn you," Mr Govers whined as they left the house. As Lucy got into the car, she felt a tingle down her back. She turned and looked up at the window of the bedroom she'd been in. A shiver ran through her body as she saw the curtains move as if someone had been peering out at her.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Within a couple of hours, Lucy turned her own car off the main road and back up the dirt driveway. She'd signed the lease, paid the rent, picked up some basic food supplies and cleaning products, and also some new sheets, pillows and towels. For better or worse, she was now the proud owner of a genuine 19th century ranch house for the summer. One that apparently came with it's very own ghostly resident!**

** As the house came into view again, she couldn't hold back the excitement. She was ready for whatever challenges the house had in store for her. Perhaps she'd be writing a ghost story instead of a western. She tried to laugh but it came out as a nervous giggle. **

** She'd just survived living with a self-centered, self-absorbed control freak for five years, surely she could handle one cranky, old ghost?**

** Once she was inside, Lucy busied herself opening up all the windows and doors to get fresh air through the place. She put on an old smock and took to cleaning off the furniture, sweeping the floors and dusting the rugs. She also put on some oil scented candles to freshen up the air.**

** Then, she moved into the kitchen. By the time she'd cleaned every surface in there, it was getting dark. She stored her few groceries in the fridge, then went out to get some wood. **

** He'd said the fireplace had been cleaned recently and she'd be able to use it. Even though it wasn't cold, Lucy decided it would be advantageous to light it for the night. The wood smoke smell would permeate the house, as well as give it a homely feel. It was such a feature of the house; she wanted to get the sense of how it had been in its heyday.**

** There was a woodpile at the side of the barn. She carted several pieces into the house and then set a fire. She hadn't built one since she'd been a child growing up in Oregon. Colder up there, they'd needed a fireplace in the winter and sometimes in the summer too. Lucy felt at home as she watched the kindling spark into a small fire. The smoke didn't back up which pleased her. **

** Soon, she had a roaring fire and her microwaved TV dinner on her lap. She sat down on the couch to eat. It was totally dark outside now. Even though busy, she'd kept one keen ear tuned to the floor above, but she'd heard nothing. Weren't ghosts supposed to rattle chains and walk about making the floorboards groan?**

** She smiled to herself, trying to make light of the days events in her mind. She ate slowly and considered setting up a makeshift bed on the couch for the night. After all, she hadn't cleaned the bedroom yet. But as she grew tired, Lucy scoffed at her hesitation. If someone was living in this house with her, best she confront the situation sooner rather than later. **

** She carried her suitcase and linens up the staircase a short time later. She opened the door to the bedroom from which she'd been chased and went in. All seemed quiet. She lit an oil lamp that sat on the desk and then went back down to retrieve her laptop computer. **

** By the time she returned Lucy half expected to see something moved but nothing was. Perhaps she'd imagined it all. Therefore, she set about stripping the bed and remaking it with her fresh sheets. The mattress looked fairly new, something the owner must have replaced to keep renters happy. She was glad of that – those old spring and horsehair mattresses didn't sound too appealing.**

** She set up her computer and was grateful to find a power point that worked. **

** She got up from the desk, yawned and stretched. A story was starting to form in her mind as she turned around to get her pajamas from her suitcase. **

** And there he was! **

**Lucy froze as in the corner of her room leaning against the fireplace mantle stood the man in the painting. Tall and darkly clad, he looked younger than in the painting. No beard, dark neatly trimmed hair, lean but powerful body, but it was definitely him.**

** She blinked a couple of times but it didn't dislodge the image. She stood frozen for a long time not sure of what to do. Then she gathered her courage. **

** "I'm not afraid of you," she said boldly.**

** _"Why not?"_ came a booming reply. **

** Lucy took a step back, her bravado diminished.**

** "This isn't your house, it's mine. And you'd better leave me be," she said with more bravado than she felt.**

** _"This will always be my house_," the apparition said as he pushed himself away from the wall and walked slowly toward her. **

** Lucy took another step backward. "I've got news for you, you're dead. You can't own anything anymore."**

** "_I can and I do. I'll scare you out of here like everyone else!_" He was close to her now, within a few feet. **

** Lucy looked up at him. He was way taller than she was, taller and broader than even Mark. She felt the temperature around her drop. She also smelt traces of bay rum and horses. Was he really an apparition? He seemed so real. "You don't scare me. Why are you still here in this house?" she asked bravely.**

** "_Why shouldn't I be? It's my home_."**

** Lucy felt as if she were going mad. She was talking to a ghost; a dead man who apparently used to live on this ranch. She glanced around. This must have been his room. As she looked back at him, she suddenly stuck out her hand. Instead of hitting solid chest, her fingers felt like ice.**

** "You're not really here, you're a ghost. You see, I can't touch you," she said boldly.**

** "_That doesn't mean anything. My spirit is here, my mind, my memory. My will."_**

**As if to prove his point, a painting of a ship that hung on the opposite wall fell off and crashed on to the floor. **

** Despite being scared silly, Lucy liked the tone of his voice. It was deep and rich. He had an old fashioned type of accent. That's the only way she could describe it.**

** "What year were you born?" she probed. **

** "_Year? Does it matter_?"**

** She watched the expression on the ghost's angry face turn to confusion with the change of subject.**

** "I want to know more about you."**

** "_I was born in 1830. Why?"_**

** Lucy swallowed her gasp and continued on with her questions. "And what year did you die?"**

** The ghost remained silent for several moments.**

** _"It didn't happen like they said. It was an accident_."**

** "What year?"**

** The ghost swiveled and paced the room in an unsettled way. "_1912 – the winter. It was an accident." _He walked to desk where she had the lamp glowing. It lit up his face, a handsome face filled with sadness. Lucy felt a pang of sympathy. **

** "What happened?"**

** The ghost turned and frowned down at her. "_I don't want to speak of it any more. Now, get out!"_**

** "No."**

** He strode up to her in a swirl of icy wind. "_I can't share my house with a stranger."_**

** "That makes two of us. So what's your name?" Lucy asked bravely. **

** He looked at her for a moment, a scowl on his face that gradually got replaced by a confused frown. Then it faded. He bowed slightly and answered.**

** "_My name is Cartwright, Adam Cartwright, Ma'am_. _I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. Please excuse my rudeness; I should have introduced myself."_**

** Lucy's nerves calmed as his mood turned. She enjoyed his old fashioned turn of phrase. She thought that if he'd been wearing a hat he would have removed it with his greeting.**

** "And mine is Lucy Muir. So now we're not strangers any more."**

** "_And may I ask what year it is now?"_ He looked at her modern hipster jeans and form-fitting shirt with puzzlement.**

** "It's 2010. We're in a new millennium."**

** "_Almost a century on,_" he murmured. He turned and paced to the fireplace and back before speaking again.**

"**_What do you want with my house, Miss Muir?"_**

** "I want to write a novel here. I like your house; it's got a lot of charm and history. Not like the city."**

**_ "It's better than the city,"_ Adam agreed, and again walked back to the darker end of the room.**

"**You lived in the city?"**

** "_For a time - in San Francisco."_**

** "That's where I'm from."**

** _"What kind of a novel are you writing? I suppose it will be one of those sickly romances such as Jane Austin wrote?"_**

** "Oh no! Not at all." Lucy walked over to him and watched as he lifted a curious brow. "It's going to be a western. It will be based on history and will be full of adventure, excitement and heroes. I plan to write about the mountain men of the Sierra Nevada."**

** "_Humph_," Adam replied with a touch of disdain.**

** "What's wrong with that?"**

** "_The mountain men weren't the true heroes of this land."_**

** "Oh no?"**

** "_No. You'd be better off writing about the settlers, the pioneers who crossed the country and really made something of Nevada."_**

** "I suppose I could try something like that. It would take some time to do the research though." **

"_**Good, go do it and come back next year!"**_

** "No chance," Lucy replied, tipping her nose up in defiance. "Now, I'm tired, so I trust you'll leave me alone while I change and get ready for bed."**

** The frown returned onto his brow. _"But this is my room."_**

** Lucy's cheeks heated with the thought of such a virile man watching her change, even though he was just a spirit. Perhaps he was stuck in this room!**

** "Can't you go downstairs or next door?"**

** _"I can go anywhere I please. I just choose to stay here. This is my room after all."_**

** "I'm sure in your day you didn't spy on ladies getting changed did you?"**

** _"No, of course not!"_**

** "Then you won't do it now you're a ghost, will you?"**

** Adam frowned and leaned against the wall again. _"You're much more stubborn and determined than women of my time."_**

** "That's what it's like now. We women have equal rights. We no longer have to rely on a man for everything. We even vote!"**

** _"Hmm, doesn't sound too good to me. What about your protection? It's dangerous for a lady to live on her own on a ranch."_**

** "I'm only a few minutes away from town and I have a cell phone."**

"_**Virginia City is further away than that."**_

"**No, Incline Village. It's just along the lake a **

**little bit."**

"_**The only thing there are rotting timber flumes from an old logging operation we had stopped."**_

"**There are many more people living around the lake now. Incline is now a town."**

"_**On Ponderosa land? They have no right!" The**_

**_angry scowl returned to his face._ **

**Questions ran through Lucy's mind about what Adam might not understood of the modern world. Did he know his ranch lands were practically gone? She didn't want to be the one to tell him.**

"**No, I'm sure they are not on your land. The Ponderosa?"**

"_**It's the name of our ranch. Due to the many Ponderosa pines of course."**_

"**Yes, they are lovely trees." Lucy recalled the few trees left along the driveway.**

"_**And what's a cell phone?"**_

** This question took her aback. How should she respond? This man had lived in a completely different time. There were many things about the modern world he wouldn't understand. Perhaps she shouldn't tell him too much. She didn't want to disrupt the space time continuum. She remembered those rules well from "Back to the Future."**

** "It's just a form of communication now. Like a telegraph only faster."**

** _"Well, whatever it is, you're still in danger out here on your own. I think it's foolish of you to put yourself at risk."_**

** "But I'm not alone now, am I?" You're here to protect me."**

** She watched his face process that idea. She'd read that men of the western era were very protective. Adam appeared to be that kind of a man. This could be a way to get on his good side. At least so she could get some sleep.**

** "You've effectively scared off every other person that came out here, haven't you, Mr Cartwright?"**

** _"Yes but,"_**

** "Then I'm safer here than I would have been in San Francisco. Here I have my very own ghost for protection. Now, how about you give me a little privacy."**

_** "All right. I'll agree to go to a different room when you retire for the evening. Until you leave, that is."**_

** She smiled and went to her suitcase. "Thank you very much. You might even enjoy having some company for a change." She turned back and realized she was speaking to an empty room.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Lucy woke late the next morning. As she blinked and looked at the ceiling it took her a minute to realize where she was. She smiled as she looked around the old fashioned room. Bright sunlight streamed in from the window that overlooked the main yard of the Ponderosa.**

** And then she recalled her crazy conversation with a ghost. Had it all been a dream? Surely conjuring up a good looking cowboy from the 19th century was purely an over eager brain at work? She sat up and yawned and glanced at the painting. There he was in all his glory. The older man, perhaps the patriarch of this grand old ranch. Yes, seeming him as a younger, handsomer ghost had all been in her mind. She'd been too tired. All was quiet as she gathered her clothes, a towel and toiletries and went downstairs. **

**The only bathroom for the house was attached to the kitchen at the back of the house. Aged but functional, Lucy drew a bath and got ready for her first full day as a writer. After that she had some cereal and thought about where to start.**

**She decided to go for a walk around the house and land to get more familiar with her surroundings. She put on jeans, a long sleeved shirt, nikes and donned a hat. Finding a sturdy hiking cane near the front door, she took off to explore.**

**First of all she entered the barn. Its walls were leaning and there were many holes in the wooden roof that let in light. Even though it had been empty for some time, Lucy could still smell hay and horses. A bit like the fragrance she'd imagined she'd smelled in her room last night. The smell of a working ranch must have been strong, she concluded. She'd have to add that in her story.**

**Next she walked down past the house heading south. There was a dirt path that led through a thicket of Ponderosa pines. Overgrown though it was, she could still follow it easily. After a few minutes she came across a small graveyard. From it she could see down to the lake. A beautiful spot, if one had to be buried, she concluded, this was the place to be laid to rest.**

**She hesitantly walked over to the gravestones to read them. The first one in the line read Marie Cartwright, loving wife of Ben. Then, there was Hoss Cartwright. He had died well before his time. Then, Alice Cartwright, loving wife to Joseph. Then Lucy looked at the next stone. Ben Cartwright, he must have been the father and patriarch as he'd been born years earlier than the others. He had been almost 80 years old when he died, a good age for that time. Beside him was Hop Sing, a name very much out of character with the rest of the graves. There had been a lot of Chinese workers around this time. Perhaps he'd worked for the Cartwrights?**

**Next was Joseph Cartwright, who passed away in 1911. And Finally, there was Adam Cartwright. Born 1849, died 1912. The same dates recalled from her odd but surely imagined conversation from last night. He'd died just one year after his brother, but he'd been almost twelve years older. **

**She glanced up at the house and thought she saw one of the curtains of a back bedroom move. Was she going mad? If Adam's ghost was real, he was watching her, probably with disapproval.**

**The last in his family to die, something had caused his spirit to remain here. There were no children's graves and no wives graves beyond those that had passed away before him. Had Adam never been married? Perhaps after he died the family line died out too. Who had inherited the ranch? And what of Adam's cryptic comments about his own death? The headstone left no clue as to how he'd died.**

**She contemplated all these intriguing questions as she walked along up the ridge. It didn't take long before she was out of breath. Lucy had forgotten about the effects of high altitude. As she looked out from the fence line she soon reached, she could see the line of houses and development working it's way toward the ranch. **

**It would be a shame to lose all the lovely trees and this final refuge to development, she thought. As well as researching her novel, she could try and find out who now owned the ranch and what they really intended to do with it.**

**It was after 1pm when Lucy finally made it back to the house. She made herself a sandwich and did some more cleaning. After that, she made up a timetable. She needed to stick to a plan of dividing her time between the chores, writing, running errands and research. **

**While doing this her cell phone rang. **

"**Hello?"**

"**Hi, it's Sarah."**

"**Hey! It's great to hear your voice."**

"**You sound a little anxious. How's it going? Are you in the house yet?"**

"**Yes. It's just what I wanted."**

"**Any problems?"**

**Lucy quickly dismissed telling her friend about her resident haunt. Sarah had never been the brave one. "No, nothing major. I'm getting a plan together for my book. I'm thinking about digging up the history on this place and writing about that. I think it was a grand ranch in its day."**

"**Well, have fun. Can I still come up and visit in a month or two?"**

"**Sure," Lucy said without skipping a beat. Just tell me when and I'll prepare you a room." One without a ghost in it, Lucy thought to herself.**

"**Great. I'm off to work now, so talk to you soon."**

"**Bye."**

"_**What was that?"**_

**Lucy almost jumped out of her skin as the deep masculine voice filled the room.**

"**Mr Cartwright, you startled me." She turned and saw him sitting in a dark blue velvet covered chair near the fireplace. She sobered as she realized he was not a figment of her imagination after all. **

"**_I don't make noise when I walk unless I want to,"_ he said as he stood up. _"You'll have to get used to my just appearing."_**

"**Yeah, looks like it." Her mouth went dry as he moved. It was disconcerting to confirm she was now living with a spirit.**

"**_What was that thing you spoke in to?"_ He stopped by the desk and sat on the edge of it, towering over her.**

"**It's the thing I told you about, like the telegraph."**

"**_You told it what to say and it sent it off? Where are the wires?" _He frowned and leaned down to study it.**

"**No wires. It has a signal that goes through the air to a transmitting tower." Lucy decided the truth was easier than some fabricated story.**

"_**And how do you get a message back?"**_

"**You can actually talk instantly to another person. It's very fast."**

"_**How far away can you speak?"**_

"**My friend who called was in San Francisco."**

**He let out a low whistle. _"I see a lot has changed from my time."_ Adam looked at Lucy and frowned. _"You went to the graveyard. Why?"_**

"**I just went for a walk and came across it. I didn't know it was there. Would you tell me about your family?"**

"_**No!"**_

"**Oh." Lucy watched as he moved away from the desk and back to the blue chair. **

"**Were you born on the Ponderosa, Mr Cartwright?"**

"_**No."**_

"**Then where?"**

"_**Boston."**_

"**Really? So you came west?"**

"_**Yes, with my father when I was a boy."**_

"**So you and your father were some of the pioneers you suggested I write about."**

"_**I suppose."**_

**Lucy's mind raced ahead. She had all the research she needed right here. What could be better than getting the story from someone whom actually lived in the west?**

"**Mr Cartwright, how about I make a deal with you."**

"_**What kind of deal?"**_

"**Would you be willing to tell me the story of your life. Traveling west and creating the ranch? It could be the basis of my novel."**

"_**What do I gain from that?"**_

"**The knowledge that your family's legacy will not be forgotten. You have the chance to make history real to the modern generation, plus you might save the house from being torn down if it becomes famous enough."**

"_**What? Torn down?"**_

**Lucy slapped a hand over her mouth. He didn't know about the developers. Adam marched back over to her.**

"**_What's this about the house being torn down. You said you lived here now_."**

"**I do, but I only rent it. And only for a few months."**

**He looked at her with menace. Even though he wasn't flesh and blood, he still managed to make Lucy scared of him; like he might have grabbed her and shook her if he could. **

"**_You'd better tell me the situation,"_ he said in a lower, colder tone.**

"**Okay, I've been told the house will be demolished next year to make way for modern houses."**

"**_How could this have happened?"_ He frowned and paced back and forth close to the desk. _"Who owns the ranch?"_ **

**Lucy didn't miss his shocked expression as he thought it through.**

"**I really don't know. A development corporation I was told."**

"_**This is preposterous. I won't let it happen. I'll chase them off if they turn up."**_

"**Your haunting won't work forever. They'll just send bulldozers and knock it down despite you."**

"**_We must do something about this,"_ Adam said. _"This is my home. It's the greatest ranch west of the Rockies. And I won't let it be destroyed."_**

"**I don't want to see that either. But the world is a harsh place now. It's difficult to stop progress."**

"**You must take my horse and ride into Virginia City and check this out with the sheriff."**

**Lucy couldn't stop her soft laugh.**

"**_What's so funny?"_ he barked. **

**She was noticing a softer side to his gruffness. "Sometimes you speak just like a cowboy."**

"_**I am a cowboy, so why is that funny?"**_

"**I'm not used to it. I like it. And you're not nearly as scary as you think you are."**

"**_I'll just ignore that insolence, Miss Muir."_ **

**Lucy felt more lighthearted when she saw a small smile pull at his mouth. He crossed his arms and tried to sound stern again.**

"_**All right then, so how do men speak now?"**_

"**Well, they don't ride around on horses anymore. They drive. We all drive."**

"_**Like a team?"**_

"**No, a car. I'm sure you've seen them if you watch the yard. It's the machine I came it –it's powered by an engine."**

"_**Ah yes. The thing that Henry Ford made popular. I wondered about those things and if they would last. I met a man who invented such a machine long before the Model T, only it was just a prototype. My brother Hoss once said they would become popular. I figured the one you arrived in as being some kind of incarnation of that strange invention. Looks like he was right."**_

**Lucy admired the fond look on Adam's face when he mentioned his brother.**

"**All these years on they are very advanced and we can travel fast in them. We can go a lot further in distance. That's why there are so many people now living all over the country."**

"**Also, mostly we don't have sheriffs anymore. Not like you knew them."**

"_**You mean there's no law?"**_

"**Oh yes, there is. We have policemen, or cops we call them now. They are everywhere and do the same kind of thing as sheriffs used to do. You also can't carry a gun around with you either."**

"**_What's the world coming to?"_ Adam commented and shook his head. _"So will you find out who's planning to tear down my ranch?"_**

"**I can look into it, but I won't be able to stop anything. I don't have any legal right and certainly no money to fight it with."**

"_**I do."**_

"**Mr Cartwright, let me remind you again." Lucy stood up and looked at him. "You're dead. You are just a spirit. It's done, whatever happened in the past can't be changed now. I couldn't access any of your family inheritance now, even if I knew who had it."**

"_**We'll see. Just go and find out what you can."**_

"**Only if you'll agree to give me your story. Crossing the country as a boy, building this ranch, an empire with your family. It's the stuff great novels are made of. If I write a successful book about the historical significance of this place, I might have more chance to influence the powers that be."**

"_**I'll think about it." **_

**Adam put his hand to his mouth and studied Lucy intently. She felt a shiver down her back as he did so. His dark eyes were so compelling.**

"_**You're a most intriguing woman. Annoying, but intriguing all the same."**_

"**Thanks, I think," she answered mildly. "I'm going to set up my writing desk."  
_"Whose desk?"_**

"**Okay, your desk. Tomorrow I'll go into town and find out what I can about the ranch as it is now. This evening I plan to start taking notes, so think it over. Your life will make a terrific book."**

"**_We'll see,"_ he said striding toward the stairs.**

"**Great," Lucy smiled as she picked up her time roster and followed him up the stairs, growing to like his ornery nature.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Adam agreed to tell her his story. She'd taken notes well into the wee hours of the morning. He'd started with his father's history of being a seaman based in Boston. From there he'd recounted the beginnings of their journey west. They hadn't got too far along the trail when Lucy had to call it quits due to exhaustion. Adam, being a ghost, didn't get tired.**

** She already knew his story was going to make terrific reading. He was very articulate, factual and interesting in his recounting. She felt sure she could shape his words to make it compelling to the modern reader.**

** But having such a late night meant she'd left the ranch later than expected the next day. She was driving to Virginia City, the town that Adam and his family had been a part of during their time.**

** It took almost an hour to get there, and Lucy was surprised when she finally arrived. It was like a scene out of her history books. The old silver mining town had been kept like it had been back in the 1800's for the most part. She cruised along the street taking in the old fashioned buildings, the courthouse, the saloons and shops. She wished she'd been here years before. Mark would have hated it. He only liked modern cities, five star resorts and pristine conditions. She was only now realizing how wrong he'd been for her.**

** Lucy parked near the "Bucket of Blood" saloon. Adam hadn't spoken about it yet, but she felt sure he would know it. As she walked inside she felt as though she was stepping into the past.**

** A long wooden bar stood in front of a mirrored wall filled with memorabilia, old guns, photos and curios from the past. An old-time piano was playing and regular folk dressed in western garb were the clientele.**

** "What can I get ya," the barman asked as she approached.**

** "Root beer, please," Lucy answered as she gazed around. "How old is this place?" she asked as he delivered her drink.**

** "1869. Can I get you anything else?"**

** "Yes, where would I found out about the history of this town and the area? Especially about ranches and the original settlers. I'm writing an article on it," Lucy added.**

** "Oh, well, there's a good bookshop just up the street that has lots of historical stuff. I'm sure you'll find something there."**

** "What about land ownership and how it all started?"**

** "You might have to go to Carson City for that. That's the capitol of Nevada. They have all that sort of stuff at the courthouse and the library."**

** "Right, of course."**

** After her drink Lucy headed up to the bookstore. They had lots of historical offerings, but nothing specifically that she could find on the ranch. More they were on the mining town and it's colorful characters.**

** She bought a couple of books on the town and then headed back to her car. She'd come back to Virginia City soon to really research the town. Right now, though, she'd better go to Carson City and find out some solid facts about the Ponderosa.**

**It wasn't hard to find out who currently owned what remained of the Ponderosa. Documents in the local Carson City courthouse revealed it to be a corporation called "Lakeshore Developments." Recent articles mentioned that the company had plans for the site including condos, a casino and exclusive stores.**

** Lucy wrinkled up her nose. The last thing this country needed was more of those. She went to an Internet café and looked up "Lakeshore Developments." They had a sleek site that oozed money. She clicked on the 'about us' link. The name of the CEO was Chad Fuller. That didn't mean anything to Lucy.**

** There was very little substantial information on him, but she then put his name into google and got up dozens of search results.**

** It seemed he was the great-grandson of a Barney Fuller who had lived in Adam's day. She found an article that mentioned Barney's son, Jett, selling off portions of the old Ponderosa ranch going back to the twenties. So, they must have acquired the ranch not too many years after Adam's death. Perhaps the Fuller family had been related to the Cartwrights? **

** After a bite to eat, Lucy started looking up old newspapers in the library that had been saved onto film. She looked at the Virginia City enterprise on the dates around Adam's passing and found quite a large article on him. **

** Disturbingly, it sited his death as a possible suicide. Even though she hadn't known him for long, she was sure that Adam would never have done such a thing. He was too much of a man for that. **

** It mentioned that the Ponderosa would go to the Cartwright's next of kin but didn't say who they were. She took copies of the relevant articles, but before she could look any deeper, it came over the public address system that the library was due to close in a few minutes.**

** She reluctantly gathered up her information and headed for the door. She had more questions now than when she started. This story was going to take time to unravel.**

** On her drive back up the mountain, she considered the best way to deal with Adam and his questions. She didn't want to upset him; she wanted him to continue with his fascinating story. But she also couldn't blame him if he was disturbed with her findings. She also wondered why he was still here. What had caused his spirit to stay? Had it been something to do with his death?**

** Turning into the driveway of the famous old ranch, Lucy felt nervous and also elated. It felt like she was coming home. Strange seeing she'd only been here for a couple of days. Most people would have found the old house too primitive, but Lucy loved its simple charms. **

** She parked the car close to the kitchen door and entered that way. The darkness was closing in as she turned the light on. She lit a gas burner and put the kettle on to boil.**

** _"Coffee, now there's something I'd love to taste again." _**

** Lucy spun around with surprise. Adam still startled her with his silent arrivals and probably always would. **

** "You enjoyed your coffee?"**

** _"Yeah. Strong and black."_**

** "That's how I like it too. I can always make you a cup even though you can't actually drink it."**

** _"No thanks. That's just teasing."_**

** "Okay." Lucy turned back to the stove, marveling about how comfortable she felt in his company.**

** _"Well, what did you find out?"_**

** "Some things, but it's going to take time to really trace everything that's happened over the years." Lucy made her coffee and then sat down at the kitchen table. **

** _"Sounds like you're being careful what you say."_**

** "Not at all. Don't forget I didn't know anything about this area until a couple of days ago. I like to know all the facts before I draw judgement."**

** _"My father was like that," commented Adam._**

** "Then he was wise. You must be patient."**

** _"I used to be like that too, but . . ."_ Adam turned and looked through into the dining room. **

** "But?"**

** _"I don't know. I changed I suppose."_**

** "People change as they get older. Did you get on well with your father?"**

** _"Yes, for the most part. I mean, we were both stubborn, hard-headed." _Adam let a small smile play on his lips and Lucy felt her heart flutter. He must have been such a handsome man when he'd lived.**

** "You must have worked well together, to build such a ranch."**

** _"We did. But after a few years I felt I wanted to become my own man."_**

** "What happened?"**

** _"I left for a long time,"_ he frowned.**

** "Is that when you lived in the city?" Lucy was surprised. Back in those days, families usually stayed together.**

** _"Yes. I needed to build something of my own. Or, I thought I did."_**

** "But you didn't enjoy it?"**

** _"I succeeded, but it was a hollow time now I think back."_**

** "When did you come back?"**

_** "What did you find out?" **_

** Lucy recognized that he didn't want to discuss this subject any longer. She felt it best not to antagonize him too much all at once.**

** "I don't yet know who inherited the ranch after . . . well after your passing, but I do know who owned it a few years later."**

** Lucy felt the heat of a blush touch her face as Adam walked over and sat on the edge of the table, his intense stare baring down on her. "A man by the name of Barney Fuller."**

** His puzzled expression slowly changed to anger. _"Barney Fuller?"_**

** "That's correct."**

"**_How the hell did he get hold of it_?"**

**Lucy picked up her handbag and pulled out an article. "This is the Virginia City Enterprise dated March, 1924. It says that Barney Fuller's son Jett, today sold part of the Ponderosa's holdings." She held the article up and watched Adam's eyes swiftly scan the print.**

** "And that ties in with the current owner. It's a man called Chad Fuller, Barney's great grandson. He's the one who's developed most of the Tahoe portion of the ranch."**

** Adam leaned back and closed his eyes, pinching the bride of his nose with his fingers. **

"**_I don't understand. He was a rival of my father's. How could this have happened?"_**

"**So the ranch wasn't left to the Fullers by you?"**

"**_No, I don't recall who . . .it's hard to remember some things." _**

**This puzzled Lucy. Adam's memory seemed excellent on just about everything in his younger life. Perhaps something was holding back his recollection in later years.**

"_**Lucy, this ranch covered a thousand square miles. Just how much of it is left?"**_

** "What . . .what do you mean?" She took a quick sip of coffee and looked intently at the table.  
_"You just said most of it had been developed_. _How much is left in its original state?"_ His voice betrayed an obvious sadness. Even though he wasn't a living and breathing person, Lucy felt his pain and understood it.**

** "Two hundred acres."**

** _"Only two hundred?"_**

** "All but the house and barn and the land directly around us and up the mountain behind has been sold off."**

** Lucy turned to look at him and was surprised to see him gone. But then, a chair rose on it's own and smashed violently into the kitchen wall, breaking it to pieces.**

** "Mr Cartwright, Adam?" Lucy said nervously as a dreaded silence took his place. "I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry about the news." But she knew he was gone. Who knew when he'd be back?**


	5. Chapter 5

**It was several days before she saw him again. At least in a state of full apparition. She felt him watching her sometimes as she typed from her notes, cleaned the house and went about her chores.**

**On a shopping trip to incline village, Lucy casually asked some of the locals about Lakeshore Developments. Most people didn't have a nice word to say about Mr Fuller. They said he was very greedy and had compromised the delicate lake foreshore to build excessively ugly mansions out of the financial reach of locals.**

** He had an office in San Francisco. He didn't come to the lake much, but there was a once a year summer charity ball he would attend in July. Lucy absorbed all the information as she drove home. **

** Home - the Ponderosa. She smiled but then stopped as she thought of its certain demise, and of Adam's anger because of it. When she turned into the yard, she felt his eyes on her and felt strangely secure. **

** _"What's for lunch?" _**

**She jumped only because she hadn't heard his voice for a while, but she wasn't frightened. "Tuna salad with low calorie dressing and a diet pepsi."**

** She turned and giggled at his repulsed expression_. "That sounds terrible. How about cooking steak and eggs one day. I miss the smell of those."_**

** "I'll think about it. As long as you don't keep disappearing on me "**

_** "I didn't think you wanted me around."**_

** "I never said that. We have to write a book together, remember?"**

** _"Oh that. What's the point?_" Adam said flippantly. _"The ranch is destroyed_."**

** "But not it's legacy. There's a story worth telling here. You mustn't lose faith."**

** _"I lost that a long time ago. It had to have been my fault this all happened. I was the last . . .the last Cartwright."_**

** "Don't blame yourself, Adam."**

** _"You know nothing about it._" he shouted. _"Why are you here? Hounding me, disturbing me?" _**

** Lucy frowned at him and watched as he retreated into the dining room. _"Leave me be,"_ he said with a heavy tone.**

** She was getting the feeling that his still being here was tied to the fact that the ranch had fallen into the wrong hands. Could it have been Adam's fault? Was it guilt that kept him here? Was it up to her to find out the truth and perhaps release him from that guilt like an intervention?**

** Adam didn't appear again all afternoon and Lucy stayed busy going about the household chores. She'd already typed out the dictated notes and fleshed them out. She couldn't keep upsetting Adam; otherwise she might never get her novel written. **

** That night, she cooked a pork stir-fry, hoping the smell would draw him out. It didn't take long to work.**

** _"Now that smells like home,"_ his deep voice said not long after she started cooking.**

** "I'm sorry you can't try it. It's my specialty. Sweet and sour pork."**

** _"Our cook used to make it_."**

** "Really? It's not a traditional meal from the old west." Lucy turned and smiled at Adam, his dark eyes sparkled back.**

** _"It was in this house._ _Our cook was from Hong Kong."_**

** "Oh, was his name Hop Sing?"**

** _"Yes, how did you know?"_**

** "I saw him . . .outside." She turned back to the stove hoping she hadn't made a mistake. "There were many Chinese in your day, is that right?"**

** _Yes, mainly railroad workers and launders. There were many more in San Francisco_."**

** There still is. Chinatown is still very big there. But they are now modern day Americans with the same rights and opportunities as everyone else."**

** _"I'm glad to hear it. They were not treated well in my day, but Hop Sing was very much part of our family."_**

** "Now it's much better. Our society has become a lot more tolerant."**

** _"That's good to know. Miss Muir?"_**

** _"Yes, Mr Cartwright?"_**

** She turned to him and took in the confused look on his face. **

"**_I enjoy talking to you. And please, call me Adam."_ He smiled slightly which unsettled her stomach.**

"**And I enjoy talking to you too. And you must call me Lucy. Miss Muir sounds like a spinster schoolteacher. It's too quiet when you hide."**

"_**I don't hide, I . . .think."**_

"**Too much thinking can drive a person mad. Do you like to play checkers?"**

"_**I used to, but prefer chess."**_

"**I've never played that."**

"**_I could teach you_," he exclaimed.**

"**Really? Okay. But we must get cracking again on the book. The days are going fast, you know. I don't have much time."**

"_**All right."**_

**Spending time with Adam filled the rest of Lucy's first week. When she wasn't taking notes on his life, he was teaching her chess. He hadn't brought up the Fullers again, so Lucy didn't either. They would eventually get back to that unpleasant subject when next she went to Carson City to do more research. There was no point pushing it. **

**His journey west was a truly exciting story and she felt sure it would be publishable if she could do it justice. They had just gotten to the part where his father had married Inger. But it bothered her that Inger was not in the graveyard. **

** Two nights later she'd had her dinner and settled on the settee by the big fireplace. Adam was sitting quietly in the blue chair staring at the fire. He was so still Lucy wasn't at all sure she wasn't just imagining him. But she felt very comfortable now with him in the room. She got her pad and pencil and for a while worked on her notes from that morning. **

** "_Where were we up to?"_ Adam said after some time.**

** "Oh, well . . ." Lucy flipped her pages on to look, even though she knew exactly. She had a bad feeling about the coming story. "You'd just made it to Ash Hollow and the Indians were outside."**

** "_Yeah, that's right." _Adam tipped his head back against the chair and looked up at the ceiling. _"We were all inside the outpost. Pa lead the men and were putting up a good fight."_**

** "The Indians attacked?"**

** _"Yeah. What none of us knew was our wagon master had killed one of them. They wanted revenge. And rightly so."_**

** "_Inger made me sit on the floor in the corner, out of harms way. She lay Hoss on my lap. Pa had told her to stay down, but she was determined to help protect us. She took up a gun and started firing along with the men."_**

** Lucy's eyes widened. She thought herself fairly brave, but she wasn't sure she could take up arms in such a situation. "She was a courageous lady."**

** "_Yes."_ Adam leaned forward, his arms on his legs and stared once again at the fire. "_I tried to shield Hoss. There was wood and arrows flying into the cabin. I wished I could have helped more. If only I'd been older_."**

** "You were just a little boy."**

** "_Inger stayed at the window shooting for what seemed like an hour, then she turned back to check on us. Then, it happened."_**

** Lucy's heart skipped a beat. His dark eyes turned to her but seemed to stare right through her. **

** _"An arrow struck her in the back. I saw the pain contort her face. She slid to the floor. I almost thought she was just grazed it was so graceful. Funny how you remember things."_**

** "And then," Lucy prompted.**

** _"And then Pa saw her. He called out to her and ran over. He saw the arrow and the light went out of his face. She said something to him, he never said what. Then, she was gone."_**

** "Oh, no. How sad." Lucy put her pencil down and stared into the fire. "How did you feel, do you remember?"**

** "_Yes, I knew I was now Hoss's protector. Inger was gone but I'd been alone with Pa before. I was sad, of course, but not scared for myself, more for Hoss. I had to make sure he'd feel safe."_**

** Very grown up feelings for one so young, Lucy thought. But Adam was the type of man that must have made those that loved him feel safe.**

** "_I bet you looked after him very well_."**

** "For a long time I did. But, not in the end," Adam trailed off and stared at the flames again. "_I wasn't here when he died."_ **

** Lucy felt compelled by his sadness and rushed over to his chair. She knelt down beside it and reached out her hand into mid-air. The iciness of his presence, now familiar, cooled her face. **

** "Don't blame yourself for things that you couldn't control."**

** "_I could have controlled them if I'd tried harder._"**

** "You're being too hard on yourself. Give yourself a break."**

** Adam turned and looked down at her. His dark eyes burned into her soul. "_It's not that easy, changing what you were, how you feel about it."_**

** "I know. That's what I'm doing here." Lucy sat on the floor and hugged her knees. "I was in a terrible relationship and I walked away. I've put myself out on a limb trying to become a writer."**

** "_What about your family_?" Adam leaned down closer.**

** "I don't have any family. Just a best friend, that's all."**

** "_Why?"_**

** "My mum and dad died in a car accident ten years ago. I was an only child."**

** _"I'm sorry." _**

** "I've accepted it. I think that's why I'm so determined now to make something of my life and to do what I believe in. I've spent too much time doing what others wanted and I've lost out."**

** _"You had a bad marriage?"_**

** "Not exactly. I had a five year relationship but we weren't married."**

** _"Not married? You mean you were engaged for five years?"_**

** "Not how you would think of it. One of the changes in today's society is that, well, couples live together as man and wife but don't actually get married." **

** Adam sat straight in his chair and gave her a very old-fashioned prim and proper frown. Lucy felt like giggling and blushing all at the same time. "I know that must sound very odd to you."**

** _"It sounds immoral. Not to mention dangerous for a woman's reputation."_**

** "Ha! There's no such thing as a reputation anymore."**

** _"I'm not sure I like this modern world of yours, Lucy Muir."_**

** "Me either," she said wryly. "I suppose there are good and bad things in both my time and yours. I'm not sure I would have been much good on a horse."**

** _"Not at all, I think you would have been a good rider. You have strength and courage."_**

** "Thanks," Lucy said as she turned to stare at the fireplace. "If I had a choice I think I would have preferred to live in the old west. Things seemed simpler then, more pure."**

** _"Yeah, but you wouldn't have electricity, or a car or your instant pocket telegraph."_**

** Lucy smiled up at Adam's description. "That's right. Technology saves my world. And as if on cue, her cell phone started playing her favorite song 'Better Man'. It was quite poignant after Adam's concerns about having not been good enough. Lucy got up off the floor and ran to the table to answer it.**

** "Hi Sarah," she answered reading the incoming call info.**

** "Lucy, hi. You still okay up there? No running back to the city with your tail between your legs."**

** "Nope, it's going great. I'm a third of the way through my manuscript."**

"**Fantastic. I've got the next four days off. Can I come visit?" **

"**Sure you can." Lucy looked over at Adam who sat quietly watching her. **

"**You must be dying for some company by now. You must be talking to the walls."**

"**Kind of," she replied.**

"**I've got the address. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon."**

"**Great. Oh, call me from Incline Village. I'll come down near the turn off and wait for you."**

"**Can't wait. See you."**

"_**Visitor?"**_

"**My friend, Sarah."**

"_**Hmm, I like Sarah. She rescued you from Mark the rake."**_

"**Adam, would you do me a huge favor?"**

"_**What?"**_

"**I don't think Sarah will take to you very easily. Halloween costumes on five year olds scare her."**

"_**You saying you want me to disappear while she's here?" **_

"**I don't want you to but if you don't it won't be pretty. She's highly strung and has a scream on her that would curdle milk still in the cow."**

"**_Sure, I understand. We'd better get to work, then. You won't be able to take notes while she's here_."**

"**Right, sure." Lucy went back to the settee and picked up her pad. "I believe you were at Ash Hollow."**

"**_Yeah."_ Adam sighed sadly and continued the story of his journey west.**


	6. Chapter 6

"**What do you think?"**

"**Its, its, kind of creepy don't you think?"**

**Lucy laughed and put a sympathetic arm around Sarah's shoulders. "I know it's not your thing, but I'm loving it. You will too. I'll take you for some long walks. It's perfect for writing. The lake is gorgeous."**

"**It's great to see you Luc." Lucy beamed as they went to the couch and sat down. Sarah stared at her for a long moment.**

"**What?"**

"**If I didn't know better, I'd say you've found a new interest."**

"**I have, it's writing. I love it, and the house."**

"**No, not that. You look like you've found a new man."**

**Lucy, startled, felt her face flush red.**

"**There!" Sarah exclaimed. "You're blushing. You have found a new man. Okay, I want the dirt."**

"**There's no man. Not a real one, anyway."**

"**Huh? You haven't gone slumming on one of those Internet dating sites have you?"**

"**No, of course not. I don't want any kind of relationship right now." Lucy looked thoughtfully at the staircase. "Come with me, I'll introduce you."**

"**What, you've got a man stashed in your bedroom?" Sarah hurried behind Lucy as she climbed the stairs. **

"**Yeah, he's with me all the time." She opened the door to her room and Sarah crept in behind her. **

"**There he is. Sarah, meet Adam Cartwright."**

"**Where?"**

"**There, the painting."**

**Sarah looked across the room and stared at the imposing portrait.**

"**Are you okay, Luc?"**

**Sure. He's the hero in my book. I've been researching the family that used to live here and he was one of them.**

"**He looks kind of scary to me." Sarah walked cautiously closer to the painting and looked it up and down.**

"**He's not scary. He's strong, noble and loyal."**

"**I think you've been on your own too long. You're talking like he's real."**

"**He is, in my book that is," she hastened to add. **

"**Handsome enough, but scary, a bit like this house. Can I share your room with you while I'm here? I'm not sure I want to sleep alone." **

"**Sure."**

"**I'll go get my bag."**

**Lucy's gaze lingered on Adam's portrait when Sarah left the room. She did have a new man in her life, she realized. Only problem was, he was a hundred-year-old ghost!**

**Sarah's visit went quickly. Lucy took time off to show her around. They visited Virginia City, Reno and had dinner out in Incline Village. Lucy took the opportunity while in town, to find out how to get a ticket to the charity ball being attended by Chad Fuller. She really wanted to meet him in person, to find out if he was as crooked as Adam thought he was.**

"**A Charity Ball. Sound's like fun. Pity I can't stay longer."**

"**Yeah, it would be nice if you could come with me. I won't know anyone."**

"**You might meet a real cowboy and make all your dreams come true," teased Sarah.**

"**No thanks, I'll take an old-fashioned one any day." Lucy enjoyed spending time with Sarah, but it was amazing just how much she missed Adam and wanted to see him and talk to him again. Not just because of the book, but because she enjoyed his conversation. **

**She found herself daydreaming about speaking to him again on the drive back to the ranch. Sarah was due to return to San Francisco that afternoon. **

"**You haven't been listening to a word I've said."**

"**Sorry?" **

"**Lucy, are you sure you're not seeing someone. This is how you were when you first met Mark, only now you seem worse! It's not this Fuller guy is it?"**

"**Don't be ridiculous. I don't even know him and he destroyed the Ponderosa." Lucy felt her face turn hot again. She had to keep her thoughts in check. Perhaps this solitary life _was_ making her crazy.**

"**Well, I'm going to ring you up every day and make sure you're all right."**

**They turned into The Ponderosa and drove up to the house. As it came into view, Lucy's stomach lurched. A familiar BMW was parked there.**

"**Oh no," she exclaimed. "That's Mark's car."**

"**Did you know he was coming?" **

"**No! I don't even know how he found me. As far as he knew, I was in the city with you."**

"**Uh oh, maybe he called at my place and checked with the landlady. I told her I was coming up here, just in case work needed me."**

"**Great." Lucy's mood soured as she parked the car behind his. Mark was sitting on the old rocking chair on the porch. That angered Lucy, as Adam liked to sit there when we tried to venture outside of the house. Mark got up as they exited the car.**

"**Mark, just what are you doing here?" Annoyance lapped at Lucy's tongue as she strode toward him.**

"**I made a mistake, Luc. I miss you. And then when I found out you were living in this old hovel of a farmhouse, I just knew I had to come take you home."**

**Lucy's blood boiled. "How dare you assume I'd even want you back. I'm living my own life now and loving it. And how dare you call this ranch a hovel."**

**He laughed and glanced back at the house. "Loving this? You must be joking."**

"**This is the best house I've ever lived in. It fits me, It's warm and homely and old-fashioned. All the things my life with you wasn't."**

"**Sarah, didn't you talk any sense into her? She's got no money, no prospects. She'll be broke before the year's out."**

"**Thanks to you!" Lucy replied in her friend's place. "I seem to remember you throwing me out without so much as a chair or bed. After me giving you five long years of my life."**

"**Ah, come on Luc. I lost my head for a few weeks, that's all. She didn't mean anything to me. It was all a misunderstanding. It's you I love."**

"**I'll bet. What's the matter, Mark? Profit's dropping? I bet miss what's-her-name isn't so good at the books, is she? Or maybe she's good at cooking them?"**

"**Okay, enough talk, get packed and in the car." Mark walked up to her and grabbed her arm.**

"**No!" Lucy shrugged him off and backed up. "I'm pursuing my dream of becoming a writer. I'm happier now than I've ever been. I'm so glad you tossed me out – I've found myself again."**

**She walked past him and marched into the house. She knew his anger was building as she walked into the great room. Sarah followed her.**

**Then, he stomped into the room and bellowed, "You'll do as I say. Get in that car!"**

**Lucy knew his temper and felt scared as she turned to face him. She glanced at Sarah who had never seen him like this, only heard of it.**

"**There are two of us here. What're you going to do? Beat us both up?" Lucy stood up straight and crossed her arms in defiance.**

"**Come here," he lunged for her and grabbed her arm as she tried to back away. Lucy cried out as he wrenched her violently toward the door. Sarah screamed and shrank into the corner near the kitchen.**

**Just then, the front door slammed shut on it's own. It stopped Mark in his tracks. Then, from the fireplace, a fire poker flew from its stationary position and narrowly missed Mark's head. His eyes opened wide as books began to fly off shelves, thumping him in the body and head. He let go of Lucy and tried to duck the barrage. **

**Sarah screamed, long ear-pearcing shrieks as she witnessed the paranormal onslaught.**

**Lucy's courage returned. Her ghostly cowboy was protecting her! Adam was here and he was enraged. **

"**What the hell is going on in this house! Mark yelled as he backed up to the door.**

"**I have a couple of friends on the dark side," Lucy bellowed. "You'd better leave or you'll be turned into the snake you are!"**

"**Good riddance you freak. Never liked your strange love of history. You're right. You're only good for one thing – balancing my books. You were a lousy lover."**

**That low blow stabbed Lucy a little. But as he left the house, one last, extra heavy book belted him in the back of the skull.**

"**Thanks, Adam," she whispered, as she saw he he'd been whacked with "an historical account of the western plains."**

"**And don't come back!"**

"**Mind if that goes for me too?" Squeaked Sarah on her haste to grab her things and run to her car.**

"**Don't go yet, I can explain."**

"**Right! See you on the 1st of October. Lovely house, not!"**

**Lucy ran into the yard and watched as both cars left in a cloud of dust. She turned back and looked up at the window above the yard. Adam's angry face stared down the driveway.**

**She brightened as she realized that was the first time anyone had really and truly defended her in a fight. She felt at home in this place. And she'd do whatever she could to save it for Adam. He was part of her life now. And she didn't want to let him go.**

"**_Sorry about the mess,"_ apologized Adam as she returned inside. "_If it were up to me I would have belted him one right in the mouth with my left hook_."**

"**You did great. I thought hitting him with these historical reference books a stroke of genius."**

"_**What did you ever see in that guy?"**_

"**Goodness knows. I was young and stupid I guess. Plus the choice of guys these days leaves a lot to be desired."**

"_**You must stay here so I can protect you."**_

"**Thanks, that's a nice offer but hardly practical."**

**Lucy scooped the rest of the volumes up and set them back on the shelves. "How did you like Sarah?"**

"_**A bit scatterbrained, but nice enough, I suppose. She took off right quick."**_

"**I told you she's not brave. Your little display didn't help. Not that I'm complaining, mind."**

"_**Come on into the kitchen, I need to smell some coffee."**_

"**Yes sir, Mr Cartwright." Lucy smiled as she headed into the next room, her ghostly apparition leading the way.**


	7. Chapter 7

**The week of the ball, Lucy spent several days in Carson City finding out about the history of the Ponderosa ownership. By Friday afternoon, she felt she had the full story. She didn't know the people involved but she hoped Adam would know them. When she arrived home, he was waiting for her in the rocking chair by the front door.**

** _"Welcome home, Miss Muir."_**

** "It's Ms now, as women don't like to make it clear if they're married or not."**

** _"It used to be an honor to be married."_**

** "Not now. Although secretly every girl wants her wedding day."**

** _"And you?"_**

** "Sure, but only if it were with someone I could truly love and trust. I'm not sure that someone exists." **

** _"It seems to me there's a lot of distrust in your society."_**

** "I agree. Come on, I'll make some you some coffee to smell."**

**_ "Great. I guess you've found some answers,"_ Adam said as they sat in the kitchen. **

** "Yeah, some."**

** _"I can tell because you're chewing your lip. You do that when you feel tense."_**

** "See, now there's not a man I know that would notice that about a women. Mark would never have noticed."**

** _"I don't know about that, but I know you, Lucy Muir. Spill the beans."_**

** "Okay." Lucy sipped her coffee. "The family will was unchanged from the one your father made out twenty years before he died. It allowed for the next of kin to inherit the Ponderosa and all your family's other holdings. You did not alter that will."**

** "At the time of your . . . passing . . . the closest known relative was found to be a cousin; William Cartwright of San Francisco."**

** _"Ah, Will."_ Adam nodded and pensively sat with his elbows on the table, his head resting on his clenched fists.**

** "You knew him then?"**

** _"Yes. Go on."_**

** "Well, he was given the inheritance but wasn't in good health. His wife traveled out to the ranch on his behalf to sign the papers."**

** _"Laura."_**

** "Yes, that's right. You knew her as well?"**

** _"Yes. It's coming back to me."_**

** Lucy felt that Adam was withholding some frustration, but she continued. "Laura Cartwright came out to Virginia City and signed for the fortune and the ranch. However when she was here she got word that Will was gravely ill, so she returned to the city without sorting out any matters about the continued operation of the ranch or your various mining operations."**

** "Shortly afterward Will died. Laura, it seems, was heartbroken about it and she died a few months later."**

** Adam nodded, his expression remaining tense.**

** "Then, everything was subsequently inherited by their only daughter, Peggy." **

** At the mention of her name, Adam smiled. **

** "She was in her thirty's but not yet married. That means she had an "old maid" tag on her after what you told me about marriage in your day."**

** _"Peggy had a mind of her own. I guess she never met the right man, like you plan not to do."_**

** "That's enough cheek out of you, Mr Cartwright. Anyway, Peggy eventually came out to see what was going on with everything. A Mr Watherton – your family lawyer – saw her and gave her an official report, which showed the state of affairs of everything. In the months since Laura and been out, things were going to rack and ruin. **

** Your old foreman was trying to keep it on the straight and narrow, but workers were taking advantage of there not being any true boss. Cattle were being rustled, wood was being stripped and the mines were collapsing."**

** _"My God. I'm glad Pa wasn't alive to see it."_ Adam closed his eyes and rested his temple on his fists.**

** "It's not all bad news. Turns out Peggy was a very determined woman. She vowed to return the Ponderosa to its former glory and set about doing just that. Within a year she had the place more or less back on track."**

** _"Good for her."_**

** "She sold off some of the unprofitable mines; by that time the veins were running out anyway. She moved into the ranch herself and kept a tight ship, only keeping on your most loyal workers."**

** _"So what went wrong?" _**

** "Barney's son, that's what. Jett Fuller."**

** "I remember him as a kid. He was a little horror."**

** "Seems he wasn't much better as an adult. I have a feeling the whole scheme was planned by Barney. He was elderly and bedridden, but it seems he had a grudge against the Cartwrights that ran deep."**

** _"He and my father were competitors throughout their lives. Barney was never quite as successful. He wasn't as honest, nor as fair. In his eyes he'd never beaten us."_**

** "Now he had a way. He sent in his grandson. Jett swept Peggy off her feet. There's no telling if there was any real love in it, but I think not. Not on his part, anyway. I'm sure Peggy believed his love to be true."**

** _"He married her, thus taking over the ranch?"_**

** "Yes, that's the size of it. A few months after the wedding there is a court document filed by Peggy requesting an annulment of the marriage due to 'fraud' but it didn't seem to have worked."**

** _"Poor kid,"_ mumbled Adam, his expression reflected disgust.**

** "Jett heavily logged the good land, overgrazed and generally drained the ranch dry of goodness. Peggy stayed but died a mysterious death – she 'fell off a cliff' while out riding one day."**

** Adam expelled a shocked breath and for a moment blinked in and out of Lucy's sight.**

** "As her husband, Fuller legally inherited everything of Peggys. The Fullers took over completely. Jett stayed at the house only for a short time. The rest is straightforward. The land was sold off piece by piece. Being such a large holding the majority still made it's way into the hands of Chad. But with the explosion in building and desirability of this area as a ski resort in recent years, it's now mostly developed."**

** _"All those years we worked. Gone so easily."_**

** "But what you created in your lifetime was truly remarkable."**

** _"I should have ensured that the ranch's future was secure. I should have willed a board of trustees to watch over it. I don't know why I didn't. I just don't remember."_**

** "I don't know that it would have made any difference in the end. The majority of iconic ranches from the past have all ended up this way, Adam. Some families just run out of people willing to work them. Big business has a way of taking over everything these days. I'm not sure the outcome would have been any better."**

** _"But I wouldn't feel such a failure."_**

** "You were not a failure, Adam. Anything but."**

** _"For the Fullers to get their hands on the Ponderosa so easily, yes, I was a failure. I should have thought about such things rather than feeling so sorry for myself in those final years. I should have ensured Peggy had help. I should have cared more."_**

** "How about we leave it for now. I have a lot to do with my notes. I'll see you later for chess?"**

** Lucy watched Adam as he nodded slightly then vanished. She could tell he was stressed by her findings. But she was confident in her conclusion. The Ponderosa would have gone the way of modern development no matter what. **

** The important thing to do now was to ensure its legacy lived on in the history books and minds of modern Americans. And that's where she could help.**

**The following afternoon, Lucy was dressing for the ball. They'd avoided the subject from the previous day by forging ahead with Adam's story. Lucy was now almost two-thirds through her rough draft. She'd decided to follow the story until the Ponderosa reached its heyday. Currently, Joseph was an infant and Marie was lady of the house. **

** _"Well, well, Mr Fuller's in for a treat. You look lovely in that gown."_**

** "Thanks." Lucy smiled tentatively at Adam who'd appeared by the mantle in her room. "I borrowed it from Sarah. **

** _"That shade of blue suits you. You might need a wrap though, it will be cold out beside the lake."_**

** "You might be right."**

** _"You be careful tonight. If he's anything like his ancestors, you could be in trouble."_**

** Lucy looked at herself in the mirror. The deep blue of the Grecian cut gown flowed loosely around her body. It had a sweetheart neckline with a diamonte broach at the center.**

**She'd put her light brown hair up in a bun with a few wisps around her face. **

**Lucy didn't dress up much, so it felt nice to be doing so. Somehow though, she wished she were stepping out on the town with someone dashing and attentive such as Adam by her side. How much fun would it be to go for a buggy ride with him to town and then attend a dance? She glanced over at him and blushed when she caught his stare.**

"**I wish you could come along, for moral support I mean. I'm not worried about Fuller. There'll be plenty of other people there."**

"_**I think you'll do just fine. I have a feeling I'd be far too tempted to start a fight and ruin the evening anyway. You're better off without me."**_

"**Okay." Lucy smiled and twirled for him. "Good enough to get his attention, do you think?"**

"_**He'd be a fool not to fall for your charms."**_

"**I don't want him to fall for my charms, just let me get this house off him somehow. Although, just how I'm going to do that I'm not sure."**

"**_Try and watch him for a while before you talk to him, try to work out what sort of person he is. That might help you."_**

"**That's the plan. Okay, I'm ready. Don't wait up."**

"_**I plan to do just that, young lady."**_

"**You sound like my father!"**

"**_Perhaps I should have said I'll miss you."_ **

**Lucy smirked at him, knowing he was just teasing her. But when she did Adam's expression seemed completely sincere. Luckily she knew better.**

**The charity ball was being held at one of the many Casinos that circled the lake. The convention room was large and had been decorated to the nines. **

** Lucy felt like a fish out of water, but she'd been to enough red carpet events with Mark and his social-climbing friends to know how to fake it. **

** She took a glass of champagne from one of the waiters circling the room and took a swig. "Dutch courage," she thought as she started to look around for Fuller.**

** Lucy had read many articles about him and studied lots of photos. The Internet made it easy to find out information on anyone with a public profile. It wasn't long before she spotted him. A plain, arrogant looking man in his fifties, Fuller was holding court with several bleached blonde bimbos and a couple of men that looked like clones.**

** She thought of going straight over but remembered Adam's advice. Instead, Lucy chatted casually amongst the crowd while keeping a keen eye on Fuller. Most people were friendly and were locals. She even got a lot of positive feedback when she told some she was writing about one of the original families in the area. **

** She overheard negative comments about Chad and his company. Lucy soon figured out he was a necessary evil in Tahoe. Without him the locals had struggled to get their town promoted. With him they had lost their soul. It had been a deal with the devil.**

** The sit down dinner was spectacular. Lucy was lucky as she was seated on a table not too far from Fuller. From her chair she had a good view of him and his demeanor as he waved his hands, pawed his dates and generally displayed behavior like that of a fluffed up peacock. **

** He ran a critical eye over everyone that passed by his table. He was obviously attracted to beautiful women, anyone that looked like money and anyone that scorned or avoided him. A very shallow man, she concluded him to be very similar to Mark. This might be easier than she'd thought. The charity auction started before desert. Fuller made a big show of buying the most desired items of the night. **

** When the band and dancing started, she took one more swig of her sparkling wine and headed for Fuller. She collected herself and put her professional face on.**

** "Mr Chad Fuller?" she said in a smoky, alluring tone.**

** "Yes," he turned and looked Lucy up and down, with a puzzled face. "Who wants to know? I don't believe we've met."**

** Lucy took a calming breath extended her hand. "My name is Lucile Muir. I'm a writer."**

** "A writer. Not a journalist?" he said with suspicion.**

** "Oh no, novels, autobiographies, that sort of thing." Lucy hoped he wouldn't want a list of things she'd written.**

** "Really. Interesting. And such a vision as well." **

** Lucy smiled, happy that he at least found her a little attractive. It would definitely help. **

** "I'm doing a little book about the historical families of this area. I learned you are a descendant of the greatest family of all."**

** "You're right, Ms Muir." He smiled with self-satisfaction. Lucy's hunch paid off. Flattery would get her everywhere.**

** "Dance?" she asked boldly.**

** "Don't mind if I do." Chad Fuller stood up and lead her out to the floor. Not as tall as Mark or Adam, he didn't have their commanding presence. People still moved out of his way though. His reputation certainly preceded him.**

** As he turned her into him for a waltz, Lucy tried not to cringe at his sleazy too-tight hold.**

** "Tell me more. What have you heard about me?"**

** "That you're the man who built the Tahoe empire. Your achievements are many." Fuller nodded his approval. "You're also very charismatic."**

** "Who wrote that?"**

** "Nobody. That's my opinion." Lucy smiled what she hoped was a sexy smile. It seemed to work. He gave her a smile, which was probably meant to look sexy, but turned out slimy. As they started to dance, he held her far too tight. Suck it up, thought Lucy. **

** "Mr Fuller," **

** "Call me Chad."**

** "Chad . . .may I ask you a professional question?"**

** "I hoped it would be personal, but go on."**

** "That old wreak of a house you have on your lakeshore property. The Ponderosa I think it's called."**

** "Oh, that? What about it?"**

** Lucy felt his demeanor change from casual party to astute business. She had to be careful not to alienate him.**

** "As you know I'm interested in the history of the area. What do you plan to do with it when you develop the land it's on?**

** "Wreaking ball, I guess. I don't really care."**

** "So you'll get nothing for it? No money I mean?"**

** "Who in their right mind would give money for that dump? I mean, I have a crazy tenant that's currently paying something, but that's all."**

** Lucy suddenly hoped he didn't know the name of his crazy tenant or her ruse was up!**

** "Then I have a proposition for you that I think you'll like."**

** "Does it involve you spending time at my private lodge?" **

** Lucy almost gagged as he pulled her tight again.**

** "Perhaps," she managed trying to sound sincere. "But about the old ranch, I have a rather eccentric friend and he just loves saving old places like that."**

** "An eccentric friend?" The suspicion in his voice wasn't hard to miss. Lucy thought of Adam, eccentric no, ghost yes. I wonder what Mr Fuller would think of his haunted abode?**

** "What if I could get you some decent cash for that place? Have it removed at someone else's expense and also pay you for it?"**

** "I'd say where's the gold buried?"**

** Lucy laughed and tried to sound beguiled. "I'm serious, you know. He's collecting old historical houses and plans to show them in a kind of park. He's not without funds. He's kind of a philanthropist of the old west."**

** "That's crazy. That old place isn't worth squat."**

** "Not to you, maybe. But there are those that find it's historical value most prized. I'm sure he'd take it off your hands for . . . oh . . . let's say $20,000.00 plus pay for the removal of course."**

** "Pocket change. I'm not sure it's worth it. I want to be able to get rid of it on my terms."**

** "$30,000 then. That's more than rent for another year or more."**

** "Hmm, wouldn't even buy me a new car."**

** Lucy chewed her lip then suddenly stopped. She didn't want to let him know how worried she was. But then, he wasn't the type to even notice her little habit, unlike Adam.**

** "$40,000 is my final offer. And the furniture goes with it."**

** "How about you, are you part of the deal?" **

** She almost cringed as he patted her rump like a prized mare.**

** "It's sure tempting," she said as straight as she could without choking. "You never know."**

** "$50,000 and it's got to be gone by Halloween. Think your friend can handle that?"**

** "It's a lot but I'm sure I can talk him into it. I'd like to help you get what you want. If only so I can take a ride in that new car."**

** "Ha, very well, Lucile. How about a night cap to seal the deal?"**

** "Sure, on the day we seal it, that would be fine." She winked and ran her hand down his back. She almost gagged.**

** "I'll look forward to it. Deliver the money by the 20th and then I'll make sure the house is ready to go after that. Remember, I want the site cleared by Oct 31."**

** "You drive a hard bargain, but it will be done."**


	8. Chapter 8

"Adam! Adam, wake up!"

"What?" Adam sat bolt upright, startled by Jessica's sharp yell.

"It's light, we fell asleep. You're going to be in big trouble!"

Adam absorbed her words quickly and felt sick to the stomach. It was indeed light. Way past the time his father would have come to awaken him for the day's work.

"Oh, no. I'm going to be in trouble alright." They both clambered down from the loft and ran all the way back to the Palace hotel. Jessica, barely keeping up, said a quick goodbye as Adam hurried across the road. Maybe he could tell his father he had been up early, for a ride. Yes, that was it! He stopped at the door, and caught his breath. He should try to act calm and collected.

He walked up the stairs avoiding the curious look from the desk clerk and went to his room. As he opened the door, the sight of his father sitting in the chair beside his bed greeted him. His face looked like thunder.

"Pa, Hi. I thought I'd get up early for once and go for a ride. It's a beautiful morning outside." He attempted a smile but Ben was having none of it.

"Oh, a ride? Funny how you didn't take your horse with you." Adam felt the blood drain from his face. Lying was his father's pet hate. He'd obviously already checked on him.

"Well, actually, I walked for most of the time."

"Since midnight?"

Adam wanted the floor to swallow him up. His father knew he had been gone all night! How would he ever explain it?

"I . . . I"

"Yes? I'm waiting." Ben had been stewing on this for hours. Ever since he'd decided to look in on Adam the night before when he couldn't sleep. Finding his son gone and his bed not slept in, Ben had been worried.

Then as he sat and waited and waited, he became more and more angry. He knew his son was old enough to make his own decisions now, but this kind of behavior was too much for Ben to allow. He had to learn responsibility.

Going out all night was affecting his ability to do his job. Also, it was a hazardous city. Adam could handle a gun all right, but Ben didn't want him getting into a situation where he might have to use it. In Ben's opinion, he was still very much a child when it came to guns and fights and dangerous men.

"Pa, I'm seventeen. I think that entitles me to begin to make my own way in life." Adam stood his ground, knowing now was the time to stand up to his father, otherwise he would always be treated like a child.

"Not when it affects your work. Is this why you have been so tired? Because you are running around the town at night?" Ben stood up to his full height, level with his son and walked up to him. Thank goodness he couldn't smell whiskey on his breath.

"Alright, I accept that I should be alert for work, but the rest of the time is my own. And I want to do with it as I choose."

"So, you won't tell me where you've been?" Ben's eyes were like shining black opals.

Adam challenged him with his eyes, but didn't reply. "Don't you say you've been in that whore house, across the street!"

Adam felt his face color but not for the reason Ben imagined.

"You have, haven't you? Boy, if you-"

"-Pa. No, I haven't been there, not like you think. But I've met someone, a girl who, well who lives there. Her mother works there. But, Jessica, she's decent. She doesn't like her life. We just talk and walk around the city. You'd like her."

Adam knew his father was furious. He backed up a little, still scared of his father's wrath.

"You dare to go out all night with a girl from that, that, place and think it's alright? Son, did I not bring you up in a proper way?" Ben's voice brimmed with anger.

"Jessica is decent. She's not like you think."

"Oh, no? She lives with prostitutes and every bit of scum from society. Don't you think that may influence her thinking just a little?" Ben was surprised that Adam would be interested in a girl from that sort of background.

Adam was surprised that his father would be that narrow minded about it. "She hates it there. Her mother is saving money to get out before too long. They are going away to live in a new town. Where they can live a respectable life."

Ben looked hard at Adam and realized he was defending this girl in spite of the trouble it might bring him. He wondered whether Adam had already got himself into more trouble than he could handle. Had he been alone with her, all night? Ben felt the blood drain from his face.

"How old is this girl." Ben crossed his arms and spoke softly.

"She's fifteen."

"Did you . . . spend the night with her?"

Adam shuffled from one foot to the other. How was he going to answer that? It was kind of true, in a way. He spoke quickly, as if the devil was on his tail.

"Yes, but well, not like you think. Jessica didn't want to go back to the Bird Cage. She hates it there, so we went walking, and ended up in that old storage building. We talked a while, then fell asleep. Nothing happened. You can believe me, Pa." Adam met his father's furious gaze with honesty.

Ben took a deep breath and noticed his own fists were clenched hard enough to make his skin turn white. This was a very bad situation. His anger reached a peak. His voice betrayed his feelings as Adam expected the roof to fall from the high decibels.

"Adam, I can't believe you were stupid enough to stay out all night with a girl. Do you realize how that could turn out? You could be forced into marriage or blackmail, or anything."

"Oh, come on Pa. That's not the way it was, I told you.'

"Yes, you told me, and I'm telling you. You better not even think about seeing that girl again or going over to that place, understand me?"

"Pa!" Adam's temper was coming to the fore as well. His father was being entirely unreasonable.

"Understand me?" Ben's powerful voice reverberated around the room.

"I understand your being totally unreasonable. You don't know about Jessica or her situation. You won't believe me or allow me to make my own decisions, even though you found me responsible enough to look after you and my brothers when you fell apart after Marie's death." Adam's rage poured out the callous words and he regretted them straight away as Ben's face turned ashen with the unpleasant memory.

"Sorry, Pa," Adam mumbled. He'd gone too far. He watched his father closely and braced himself for the worst.

Ben felt as if Adam had hit him. He didn't know where such insolence came from. If he'd stood back a pace or two and looked at the whole thing subjectively, he would have realized that Adam was growing into a man, and the time had come for him to take a new path. But he couldn't see that, so he looked at his eldest son with disgust and shame and strode out of the room, lest he hurt him.

As he walked through the door, he swiveled and stared Adam down. "I'll only say this once. You are here for work. I except you to be ready in thirty minutes. If you dare venture out without me again we will gather our things and head straight back for Nevada. Do you hear me?"

Adam wanted to continue the argument. But the look in his father's eyes made him back down. He wanted his fathers trust and his respect, even if he was angry with this issue.

"Do you hear me?" Ben waited, watching his son make the mental decision.

"I hear you."

Ben turned and walked away.

Adam slumped on the bed and rubbed his eyes. He had ruined everything now. The good relationship he had with his father and his friendship with Jessica. The crazy part was, he'd done nothing wrong. All he'd done was go out after dark and talk with a friend. Maybe if his father could meet Jessica, he would see she wasn't like the other women in the Bird Cage.

But how would he arrange that now? He was restricted now to the hotel and to his work. He had to find some way. He washed and got ready for the day's work, hoping to figure out a plan to save the situation, and make his father see he could still be trusted.

The two Cartwright's spent much of the day in stony silence. Adam made suggestions on cattle and Ben ignored him. On their way back to Tucson, Ben announced that they'd seen enough cattle and he was going to make his decision on the purchase the following day.

He would organize the various ranches to meet, then drive them to Tucson in a small herd. and then they would leave the day after that, driving the herd north with a couple of the ranch's hands. Adam was ready to argue again, but thought better of it. He might not even see Jessica again at this rate. There was nothing to do, but to sneak out tonight and tell her goodbye. He didn't care if he was caught. Nothing would stop him.

He waited until almost 1am. His father had checked him at ten then again just after twelve, but Adam didn't think he'd come in again.

Not that he cared. His only thought was to see Jessica and tell her he was going. He wanted to be with her, just for a little while. His feelings towards her were growing stronger all the time. He had to let her know how to write to him so they could work out a time when she could come visit.

He dressed and strode boldly down the hotel stairs, not caring if he was seen. It was Saturday night and there were even more men out in the street than on previous nights. The queue at the Bird Cage was massive. Out front of the entrance, Adam recognized the boss, Manning whom had beaten up Delilah. He was making an announcement of some kind. Curious, Adam sidled up along side the building and listened in on his words.

"Now, gentlemen, I hope you've brought full purses tonight, as this is a very rare event in this day and age. She's young and ripe for the picking, just waiting for one of you handsome men to show her how it's done." A round of cheers, yells and applause broke out. Adam was puzzled, as he'd come in on the end of the speech.

"Come on in boys, and get ready for the auction!" Crowds began to pour through the door. Adam, feeling apprehensive, caught the sleeve of one patron and asked him what was going on.

"They's holdin' a virgin for auction tonight. This is gonna be one heck of a sale. If you wanna show, you betta ask your Daddy for some pocket money." The man laughed in his face and pushed his way through the crowd.

Adam felt ill. Surely this didn't involve Jessica. Was Manning forcing her into this? He ran to the place they usually met, but there was no sign of her. Panicked, he rushed to the back entrance of the brothel. The door was locked, so he proceeded around to Jessica's window and threw grit at the glass. She didn't appear. He was really worried now. More and more he felt that she was in some kind of danger.

Putting himself at risk, he ran back to the rear door and banged on it. Maybe, just maybe one of the girls he'd met would open it. He waited for several minutes then tried it again. Eventually, he heard the bolt draw back and the door opened. Inside stood the English girl from the other day.

"Well, if it ain't Jess's little boyfriend."

"Where is she?" Adam rushed in and grabbed the woman by the shoulder. He towered over her and a measure of fear touched her eyes.

"Now, don't you fret none. She's just fine, now anyways."

"Tell me what's happening!" Adam's voice turned dark, menacing and measured. Connie wondered where the nervous boy of the previous day had gone, as this was a dark, angry and dangerous man that held her.

"It's all proper and legal like. Delilah's signed the form to say she's Manning's now."

"What's he going to do with her?" Adam applied more pressure and Connie had a job not to cry out in pain.

"He's auctioning her off as a virgin to the crowd. The highest bidder gets her, for all night."

"What?" Adam dropped his arm down, shocked by the news.

"Manning struck a bargain with Delilah." Connie rubbed her shoulder and backed away a little from Adam.

"Delilah wouldn't do that to her. She wouldn't."

"What does it matter. Delilah was so angry with Jessica for falling in love with you. This is her punishment, so she gets you right out of her system." Connie looked at him in triumph.

"I don't understand."

"Jessica told her mother she was in love with you and she was going away with you to the Ponderosa. Delilah was so angry. She said love ruined her life and there was no way Jessica would run around after you and ruin hers. She may as well get top dollar for her and be done with it." Connie crossed her arms and felt in control again.

"I have to see Jessica."

"Oh, no you don't." It was another voice from the background. Adam peered into the dark and noticed Delilah's honey blonde tresses shimmering from the shadows.

"Why are you doing this to her? You said you would never let this happen." Adam watched the woman as she emerged from the hallway.

"This is a lesson she should have learned two years ago. I was fooling myself thinking I could keep her from men, from their lies and from their beds."

Adam noticed she was slurring slightly, obviously drunk to some degree. And, as she came into full view, he saw dark and angry bruising around both her eyes and her mouth. He gasped, as she had obviously been badly beaten.

"I don't know what you think I've done but we've done nothing wrong. We're just good friends, nothing more. Jessica doesn't deserve this . . . this cattle auction. This is her life you're playing with."

"And young man, you don't think you've been playing with her? Telling her wonderful stories about life with your family, out on a rich spread, filling her head with hopes and dreams when all the time you know she is destined to a life of poverty and misery. That's more cruel." Delilah had turned ugly, her eyes flashing with hatred and disgust.

"She could have all those things one day if you packed up and both walked out of here tonight. My father has influence. We could get you away from here. Take you to a new city, where you could have a fresh start. Like you told Jessica you would. That's what she really wants. She's in love with the idea of having a stable home and family. She's been hoping you were about to provide that at long last." Adam trained his dark eyes on her hazel ones, trying to read her thoughts.

"Huh, and she believed me. Well, there's no getting away now. Manning got my money like he said he would. If you hadn't butted in the other night, he might have backed down, but no, you made him all the more determined to get us."

Adam swallowed. Could it have been his fault? Had he interfered with something that was never his business?

"It doesn't matter about the money. My father will let you come back with us." Adam wasn't sure about that, but he had to try something.

"Stop it, boy. Jessica is resigned to her fate. You should have thought about it before you took her out all night into that shed. If you don't want the law on you, you better leave now. Besides, I already told her you called and said you weren't coming back."

"What?" Adam shaking with anger at this bizarre situation grabbed Delilah's arms and slammed her back into the wall.

She began to laugh as Adam held her in place.

"You men, all you understand is violence. I told her that too. She doesn't understand that, but she soon will." She laughed, and laughed, and slid down the wall from her drunkenness.

"I'm not going to let this happen." Adam spoke calmly and evenly. Just as he was about to run into the back stage area, Manning strode through the door and found him.

"Who are you?" The big man's eyes narrowed, as he looked Adam up and down. Adam wished he'd worn his gun. This was a very dangerous situation he was in. This was not a man who would think twice about killing him.

"This is the boyfriend, darling." Delilah picked herself up off the floor and weaved over to Manning, wrapping her arms about him. Adam almost choked with disgust. How could he have been so wrong about the sincerity of Jessica's mother? No wonder Jessica wanted to get away.

"Ah, ha! So, this is the cuss who almost cost me a small fortune." Manning brushed Delilah aside and walked across to Adam.

"He wants to take her away. Imagine that, he wants the daughter of a whore. Don't think Daddy's going to approve of that." Delilah giggled and clutched the wall for support.

Adam grimaced at her actions. She was a whore. She might not have started that way, but she sure had ended up like it. Now, she was trying to turn her daughter into one, because she made a tragic mistake in her life. Jessica shouldn't have to pay for her sins.

He told them all as much, but they just laughed at him. Manning grabbed him by the throat and held him aloft.

"You listen good boy, the only way you'll get her now is if you got a pocket full of gold to pay for her with. She's going to be my star attraction, seeing as how Delilah's had to retire. Now, you get out of here, before I have a mind to kill you." He released Adam and shoved him toward the door.

"No, Manning, wait. How about we let him watch. Put him out there in the crowd. He'll see everything, watch the auction. Teach him a lesson about life." Delilah laughed with venom.

"Hey, good idea. How about that, boy? Want to see your girl get sold to the highest bidder?" Manning laughed, grabbed him again and hauled him towards the backstage area.

There were half a dozen stairs down to the main floor, and Manning pushed Adam down them with force. He would have landed head first, only the crowd was so large the people jammed around the bottom broke his fall.

Adam steadied himself and looked up to the stage. He tried to climb back up the stairs, but two pairs of burley arms grabbed him from behind and held him tight. From the wings he saw Manning's treacherous grin. Adam felt sick. Then, Manning strode out onto the stage and a mighty roar went up from the crowd.

"Well, this is it, boys. The moment you've all been waiting for. The prize for the night, young Delilah." They all cheered and two men dragged a kicking, screaming Jessica out onto the stage. Adam gasped as he saw her. They had her dressed in a scarlet gown. Her face was painted to make her look like a whore and her hair was done up to maker her appear older. All the men in the room let out a yell of approval. Adam looked hard into her eyes. She was scared to death and fighting her captors all the way.

She struggled but the men that held her were too powerful. Adam couldn't move either.

"Ain't she a wildcat, folks? She's just waitin' for one of you rich gents to tame her." Adam grimaced with disgust as they proceeded with the auction.

While she struggled, Jessica peered out into the crowd, trying to find a way to escape, trying to see if Adam was out there. Then, as she looked down, there he was. He was held by two of Manning's men.

Adam met her eyes and tried to get free. The men squeezed tighter and punched him in the jaw. Adam slumped against them, noting there was nothing he could do to stop it. He looked up at Jessica and told her the story with his eyes. He loved her, he realized that now, and he was the cause of this horrible ending to her innocence.

She gazed at him as the feverish bidding began, lost in his eyes and his honesty. She knew her mother had been lying to her. There were good men in the world. Adam was a young man who would have kept her safe and away from this kind of life. Why had she told her mother about her new found feelings for him? Her mother didn't want Jessica to be happy. She wanted her to suffer, as she had suffered. She knew that now.

Adam mouthed words to her, trying to calm her. Jessica read them through bleary eyes, shutting out all the noise around her. He was saying that he loved her. Yes, yes he was. He would save her, and take her away. She stopped fighting. She trusted him to help her, to get her out of this mess. She didn't hear the hammer fall as she was sold to the richest man in town for $3000.00. She smiled at Adam and he back at her, as they dragged her away to her fate.

Adam relaxed his muscles, trying to catch the men that held him off guard. He had no gun, but every other man in the room was wearing one. It wouldn't take much to grab one of them and make a run for the back stage.

Just as he tried to escape, the biggest man yanked him by the collar and hauled him backward towards the front entrance. Adam fought with all his might, but they pushed him out into the street and around the corner into the alley.

"Now boy, you'll get what's coming to ye."

They started swinging punches and after avoiding a couple with his speed and agility, Adam was struck savagely to the jaw. He hit the ground hard, but was pulled back up quickly. Another fist launched into his gut, knocking all the wind out of his lungs. Before he had time to recover, yet another blow was landed to his head. Adam felt dizzy and he slumped back to the ground.

All he heard as he blacked out, was laughter.


	9. Chapter 9

**Time was going too fast. Lucy couldn't comprehend leaving the Ponderosa. She shivered as an autumn wind whipped around her face. She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh scent of the Ponderosa pine that carried on the breeze. How she'd come to love that smell. **

** She leaned against a porch beam and took in the aroma of the aged wood. Everything about this place had become burned into her soul.**

** She had only a few weeks left now. Halloween was fast approaching. Her letters to the local congressman and any cashed-up historians about trying to save the house and have it relocated to an historical park hadn't been fruitful. **

** Her manuscript was bogged down at the bottom of some New York editor's pile. It seemed westerns were out of favor. All her hard work had been wasted. And to top it all off, she'd managed to fall in love with a man that had been dead for more than a century.**

** "Way to go, Muir. You sure screwed your life up this time. You didn't even need Mark to do it for you."**

** _"You still thinkin' about that rake?"_**

** Lucy smiled sadly. "Not the way you think."**

** _"Fall's in the air,"_ he said softly.**

** "I know. I usually look forward to the coming of winter, but . . ."**

** _"Round up. That's what we'd be doing now. Getting ready to drive the cattle to the city."_**

** "Must have been exciting."**

** _"It was. I always enjoyed the drive."_**

** Lucy turned then. Adam stood in the doorway, leaning on the doorjamb, as he liked to do. He was so at home here; masculine, strong and quiet. Soon, he would have no choice but to leave. What would happen to him when the house was torn down? Lucy couldn't imagine. She didn't want to think about it.**

** "I'm going for a walk up the hill to take some sunset shots of the lake. Would you come with me?"**

** _"I'll try." _**

** Lucy smiled when he joined her at the edge of the porch.**

** "You're becoming braver."**

** _"I'd like to see the lake again. I might not have too many more chances." _Adam turned to her and smiled. _"I always did like escorting a pretty lady on a Sunday ride."_**

** "I'll just bet you did. Come on."**

** Lucy got the walking stick and strode off across the yard. Even though she couldn't hear his footfalls, she knew Adam was right beside her. She could sense him so easily now. She hoped he would make it to the lookout. Perhaps his growing ability to range further from the house would allow him to leave with her when she finally had to move out.**

** It wasn't too long before she reached the top of the rise. The view was magnificent. She gazed on it in silence wishing she could see it every day.**

** "_This was one of my favorite places_."**

** Lucy turned toward Adam's voice. It seemed more distant than normal and she couldn't see him well.**

** "I can imagine it was," she added. "You must have missed it when you were in the city."**

** _"Yes, very much."_**

** "Do you regret going away that first time?"**

** _"Yes, although put in the same situation again, I probably would not have done anything differently_."**

** "It's easy in hindsight. Had I known how Mark would turn out, I never would have wasted five years on him."**

** _"Now that I agree with."_**

** Lucy smiled and took some photos of the lake with the sun shining on the water. **

** _"Amazing invention, the camera. Although sometimes I think it was more interesting to have a third eye, an artists impression of something rather than a purely reflective image."_**

** "How paranoid of you, Mr Cartwright." **

** _"Paranoid? Why?"_**

** "Perhaps you don't like people to see the real you. Like that painting in your bedroom."**

** _"What's wrong with it?"_**

** "It's not you. Oh, physically sure. But it doesn't reflect your inner self."**

** _"Tell me more,"_ smiled Adam. Lucy noticed he was becoming clearer.**

** "It shows you as a tough, hard man; someone cold and unapproachable. And you're nothing like that. A photo would let your true soul shine through your eyes."**

** _"I seem to remember you running away from me the first time we met. I'll bet you would have called me unapproachable that day."_**

** "Let's face it, ghostly apparitions are not exactly inviting the first time 'round," Lucy laughed. And so did Adam – a rich, deep laugh that seemed to echo around the mountains.**

** _"I must admit, had I ever encountered a ghost, I'm not sure I wouldn't have run either."_**

** "Come on, cowboy. It's time for dinner."**

** _"What are we having tonight?"_**

** "A treat. You'll be smelling steak."**

** _"And fried onions?"_**

** "Okay, just this once."**

** _"You've got my heart forever."_**

** "Sure. Until some rich widow down the road cooks an apple pie."**

** They laughed together as they walked back down the mountain and to the home they both loved. **

"**That's the eighth rejection letter I've had." Lucy's heart sank as she dropped the form letter on the coffee table.**

"_**It's to be expected. Nothing worth doing is easy."**_

"**But Adam, you don't understand. Westerns are out. Everybody wants Vampires, or cooking books or spy novels. I guess I'm as old-fashioned as everyone said I was."  
_"You're not going to give up, are you? It's just a matter of finding the right publisher. And I can't believe people actually like reading about vampires. Bram Stoker's Dracula was enough for me."_**

**That comment made Lucy smile, ever so briefly. "But I've sent the treatment and first three chapters to all the most likely publishers first. Let's face it, the hope of getting this thing bought in time to save the ranch is looking slim."**

"_**That doesn't matter. If you do sell it you'll need the money to start your new life."**_

**Lucy looked up, startled. "What do you mean this place doesn't matter? It's all we've been working for, to save this place. We agreed to use the money to buy the house."**

"_**But I've realized it's more important that you secure your future. I've faced up to the fact that the Ponderosa is no longer. It's just a dream my family had a long time ago. We're being foolish trying to save the last piece."**_

"**No, I won't let you talk like that." Lucy stood up and folded her arms, frowning down at Adam who sat in his favorite blue chair.**

"**_You are quite magnificent when you are angry, Ms Muir,"_ he smirked. _"But you're being unreasonable."_**

"**Me? Me? I think not!" She paced by the fire. "If you think I'm going to let that man take the Ponderosa from us, you're crazy."**

"**_Lucy, sit down."_ Adam's voice, calm and even, didn't persuade her.**

"**No!"**

"_**Sit, now!"**_

**She stopped pacing and swiveled around. He was so stubborn. As stubborn as she was. And since when had his mood lightened. The burdens he'd carried about his life seemed gone. She tipped her nose up and plunked down in her seat.**

**Adam leaned forward. He was bright tonight. Had Lucy not known better, she would have sworn he was flesh and blood. She could see the handsome stubble on his chin, the definition of the dark lashes around his eyes, the veins of strength along the back of his hands. She calmed as he moved closer. His familiar icy cloak enveloping her like a delicious summer breeze. How she wished she could reach out and touch his long, expressive fingers. **

"_**Lucy, my time here is growing short."**_

"**I know you're stuck here. You can't cross the yard."**

"**_I don't know what's going to happen after the house is gone, but I'm sure I'll be okay. You've helped resolve_ _some issues for me. By my story being told, I feel my family's legacy will live on now. I think that's what's kept me here."_**

"**But nobody will publish it."**

"_**Someone will, one day. You'll make sure of it. Even if it's just on that blog newspaper thing you talk about."**_

"**I've failed you," Lucy felt the sting of tears in her eyes as she looked up at him. **

"_**No, darling. You've rescued me."**_

**Did she dare tell him her feelings? She'd kept them bottled up inside for so long. Soon, she might not get the opportunity. "I think I love you," she said with a wobble in her voice.**

"_**I know. And I love you too," he said gently.**_

"**You do?"**

"**_How could I not? But we have no future together. This is all we have. Your book and our memories of this summer."_ Adam looked down and the letter fluttered across the table away from them both. _"Promise me that you won't forget me and my family."_**

**Lucy stood up again, flustered. "What are you doing, saying goodbye?"**

"_**Not yet, but soon. We have to face it."**_

**Lucy sat again and put her hand to her head and started to cry. She didn't have to look up again to know he'd left her alone for the rest of the night.**

**Lucy had just taken her first hand-baked apple pie out of the oven when her cell phone rang. She raced to pick it up before it skipped to voice mail.**

"**Is this Lucy Muir?"**

"**Yes, that's right."**

"**My name is Robert North. I work for a magazine called "Western Skies". Have you heard of it?"**

"**Yes, in fact I buy it every month.**

"**I thought you might know it. Most people with an interest in western history usually do."**

"**May I ask what this is about?" **

"**Sure, I'll cut to the chase. I was passed a manuscript from a publisher friend of mine. Your manuscript."**

"**Really?"**

"**Yeah, they liked it but just wasn't sure it was saleable as this is your first novel."**

"**I've been hearing a lot of that lately."**

"**Well, I might have a workable solution for you."**

"**Really?" Lucy sat to attention.**

"**Yes. I loved the first three chapters. You're writing is exciting and vibrant. You really bring the period and characters to life. I'd like to run a series of condensed chapters in the magazine over the next few months, get your work known. After that, and if it's successful, my publisher friend might take it on."**

** "You're kidding, aren't you?"**

** "Not at all, Ms Muir. This is just the kind of work I've been looking for. And I'll pay handsomely to get it. When can we meet?"**

**Lucy found herself in a whirlwind of meetings and contract negotiations. She heeded Adam's advice and read everything twice before signing off on it. But it was all in order. It turned out Robert North was a modern day cowboy, and a straight shooter.**

** "Adam, Adam, it's official. I have the check."**

** "Let me see," he said, materializing in front of her.**

** "Sixty thousand dollars."**

** "So much?"**

** "It's not all for the chapters. After Robert came to the house the other day, I told him about the deal I made with Fuller. Today he told me he wants to buy it and get it donated to a historical park in Colorado that would take it and reconstruct it so it can be displayed."**

** "Really, that's great news." **

** "Lucy beamed up at him and forgot herself. She reached up to hug him but gathered only some icy frosting into her arms. **

** "I wish," she stumbled.**

** "I know," Adam replied. "What about the removal?"**

"**Robert has arranged for that as well."**

** "You like Robert, don't you?"**

** "He's been nice to me, yes I do."**

** Adam frowned and turned to the fireplace. "Be careful."**

** "Why, Mr Cartwright, you're jealous."**

** "Not at all, I'm just looking out for your best interests."**

** "I think you're jealous." Lucy smiled and walked after him. He turned and they were as close together as a pair of dancers on a ballroom floor. **

** "I have no right to be jealous. I have to let you live your life."**

** "And I've chosen to stay with you. I'm moving to Colorado with the house."**

** "What? No!" **

** "It's the perfect place to write. I've decided I'll stay close to you so I can visit anytime. They might even let me write in the house."**

** "Lucy, you must move on with your life. I might not even survive the trip."**

** "Yes you will! You're stronger now."**

** "Impossible woman!" Adam vanished and left Lucy to stew. **

**He had to survive. What would she do without him? Lucy's heart pounded with fear.**


	10. Chapter 10

**They lay side by side, the wall clock ticking away their last hours together. **

** "Did you love anyone in your lifetime?" Lucy asked, the slow drawl of her question giving away her need for sleep.**

** "Yes, but I never married."**

** "Why not?" Lucy, lying on her side, looked into Adam's eyes. He lay facing her on the other side of the bed; his head resting on the pillow and his hand lay beside hers as if it were really there and touchable. She took comfort in his cool aura.**

** "The first time I fell in love, it was with a woman who scarified herself to the Indians."**

** "Really, that sounds so noble."**

** "Yes, it was, although I didn't think so at the time. She vowed to treat their tribe of an illness that would also take her life."**

** "Terrible."**

** "And the other lady, we were just too different in our way of life. She was a Quaker."**

** "Oh, really? I've read about them."**

** "She was the leader of her people. We were just not meant to be I suppose."**

** "Poor darling," Lucy said.**

** "There was one other, but she left me for . . .someone else."**

** "What? Was she blind?"**

** Adam chuckled deeply. "No, not that I know of.**

** "Well, I think she must have been."**

** "You're too kind, Ms Muir."**

** "If I'd been around in your day, you know you wouldn't have stood a chance."**

** "And I wouldn't have resisted."**

** Lucy's pulse raced. If only it was true.**

** "I was glad she left. I realized I wasn't truly in love with her, that I just wanted to settle down."**

** Lucy couldn't stop her yawn despite wanting to discuss Adam's lost loves some more.**

** "You need to get some sleep. The workers will be here in the morning"**

** "I know, I just want to enjoy this moment a little longer. And then we'll be in Colorado together. Goodnight, I love you," she said sleepily. **

** Adam watched her eyelids droop then close. He sighed with resignation. He couldn't let her live like this, in his nightmare, trapped as he was in a void with no body and no life. He had to act now, tonight. He had to make sure she forgot about him, however painful that would be to him.**

** After making sure she was in a deep sleep, he floated up and over her. His outline glowed brightly as he summoned all his energy.**

** "Lucy Muir, although I love you dearly, after tonight, you will no longer recall our conversations. You will not remember me in any way. Your only memory of me will be in relation to your story and research and my painting. You will not know anything of my ghostly presence. You won't remember me in years to come or in your dreams. You will get on with your life and hopefully one day meet someone who you can share your life with."**

** Lucy frowned in her sleep and began to toss restlessly.**

** "Hear me now, Lucy Muir. From now on the name Adam Cartwright will only be a reference to your novel, not to me. Forget me. Forget me. I love you, but goodbye."**

** She tossed her head as if resisting his chant. But Adam was determined. He kept it up until the light of dawn broke over the mountains.**

** And then he was gone.**

**Lucy felt nervous excitement as she alighted from the limousine she'd taken from Denver airport. Almost six months since the day they'd started dismantling the Ponderosa house, she was here to open it to the public. She hoped they'd got the reconstruction right. She wanted to do the memory of the Cartwright family justice. Robert met her at the entrance to the park.**

** "Lucy, it's a great day for us western historians."**

** "Yes, indeed." He reached over and gave her a kiss on both cheeks. He'd been so nice to her and she knew that he was romantically interested in her, but she just didn't feel at that place in her life where she wanted to commit to anyone. Her career as an author was just taking off. **

** "Let's go see the house," she exclaimed.**

** The owners of the historical park took them for a tour through the authentic streets and buildings. As they turned the corner, there it was. The Ponderosa Ranch House stood at the top of the street in all its glory. It's glass windows shone and its dark timbers gleamed with pride.**

** "Oh, it's beautiful," she exclaimed, holding Robert's hand. **

** "Yes, come and do the honors." Lucy walked forward and was given the task of cutting the ribbon at the opening ceremony. Then, she was the first guest to enter the great room, followed by the park's staff. **

** "Oh, it's just as it was, only it looks shiny and new!" she exclaimed.**

** "It's a grand old house. It just needed some spit and polish."**

** "A great deal more than that. It needed love and attention from people who care. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart," she said to all the workers and staff that would now maintain and show it.**

** Lucy took a nostalgic tour through the house, savoring each room. She kept her old bedroom until the end. Upon entering she immediately looked over to the painting she knew so well. **

** There it was; the imposing image of the man from her story. She often wondered how she'd become so inspired. Her story was a hit in the magazine and was slated for publication as a full-blown novel that fall.**

** "If I didn't know better, I'd swear you'd met the man," Robert commented as he walked over to the painting.**

** "I know, I just felt such a connection to him and his family. Must have been living in the house that did it."**

** "Handsome man, wasn't he?"**

** "Yes." Lucy looked at Adam Cartwright's painting and all of a sudden shivered.**

** "Someone walk over your grave?" asked Robert.**

** "Maybe," Lucy chuckled. But she had the strangest feeling she was being watched. As she left the house, she had the impulse to look back at it. Her eye caught movement in the second story window. The same shiver traveled down her spine as the curtains moved back into place. Another tourist, she concluded.**

** But she full well knew only the center of the room was accessible. The window was roped off to visitors.**

**FIFTY YEARS LATER**

** "Ms Muir, it's so good to see you again," Betty Brown, the curator of the Ponderosa museum shook Lucy's mottled hand.**

** "Thank you, dear. It's good to be back." Lucy adjusted her walking stick and looked up at the house she'd loved since her youth.**

** "We've missed you these last few years."**

** "My Doctor said it was too much for me to travel out here. But darned if I was going to miss the fifty year celebration of the Ponderosa museum."**

** "We sure do appreciate it. You'll have lots of fans to talk to. We've got all your books ready for you to sign. **

** Lucy smiled. She loved it here. "May I go in alone as usual?"**

** "Of course. Be careful, though. The floors have just been waxed."**

** "I will."**

** Lucy shuffled forward and used her stick to balance herself. There it was, the deep wood and smoke smell. After all these years and tourists, the house still breathed in it's own way.**

** "Hello, house," she said as she took in the great room in all it's finery. They kept it so well. She walked around absorbing every detail, every feature. She saw the downstairs desk set up with a stack of her books ready to be signed. She'd written 27 in all, plus worked as a journalist for Western Skies for many years after her first novel was published. It had made her a wealthy woman and she'd had a good life. She was satisfied with her legacy. And although she'd never married, she felt she hadn't missed out. **

** "Now, time to tackle the stairs," she said to herself. Her ankles protested, but slowly and surely, Lucy climbed up to the second floor. She took the journey along the corridor and went into every room one by one. She left her old room until last. She had such fond memories of her time in this room. But more than that, she always had an overwhelming feeling of love and safety when she was here.**

** She almost couldn't explain her attraction. Until she saw him again. Drawn instantly to the painting, she shuffled over to it eagerly.**

** There he was, as imposing and handsome as ever. She always felt as though she knew him. But she knew she didn't. Such a strange, intimate feeling. She smiled and said a bashful hello to the image. "I bet you weren't expecting to see me again. And especially not in this condition." She glanced down at her walking stick and bandaged legs.**

** Lucy laughed and then moved the roped area so she could sit on the bed. "It's been five years since I last made it. You haven't changed a bit."**

** She looked around the room and sank back onto the soft bed. "I've grown tired. Getting old isn't so fun."**

** Later she returned downstairs and attended the golden anniversary ceremony for the house. She greeted hundreds of her readers and signed volumes of her western novels. **

** "Lucy, your car will be here at 6pm to pick you up. It's running a little late in the traffic. Will you be okay until it comes?"**

** Lucy sat on the sofa staring at the unlit fireplace.**

** "Of course, Betty. I always feel so at home here I never want to leave. I think I'd like to go upstairs again, just for old time's sake. I have to admit this might be my last visit."**

** Betty, the curator for the last twenty years, took pity on her and nodded. "Of course, but call me when you want to come back down and I'll help you."**

** "Thank you, dear."**

** Lucy climbed the stairs with a struggle and this time went straight to her old room. She smiled at Adam's painting and sat down on the bed.**

** "I've come to say goodbye," she said in a wobbly voice. "Not sure why it's so hard. You're just a painting to me, after all." She lifted her stiff legs and lay down, relishing the softness of the traditional feather bed that had been put in by the park.**

** She turned on her side and looked over to the painting. "Why do I always get the feeling I knew you? Perhaps you came to me in my sleep? Perhaps I'll nap until the car comes. You can talk to me as I rest, if you like."**

** Lucy's eyelids shut and she fell into a heavy sleep.**

**When she awoke she felt so refreshed. Lucy sat up quickly and yawned. She felt so good; she could hardly believe it. She glanced over at Adam's painting and smiled. This house always invigorated her. **

** But when she went to stand up she knew something was wrong. She didn't need her stick, nor did she ache all over. She felt as if she were young again.**

** "Boy, I've got to get me one of these mattresses," she laughed to herself.**

** Then she looked back at the bed and gasped. She looked down at her own body, lying still and silent. She went stiff all over, shock taking hold. She backed away, bemused. **

** "It's all right, Lucy. You're safe. Don't be scared."**

** Lucy turned at the deep, rich voice and felt a flood of emotion rock her soul.**

** "Adam?" **

** "Yes, it's me."**

** "Oh my God, I did know you, didn't I? Wait, you were here, with me, when I lived here. We spent hours together. I . . .I fell for you. Why did I ever forget?"**

** "I made you forget. I didn't want to ruin your life, my darling."**

** He walked over to her, his dark eyes shining. Lucy waited for his cold shroud to envelop her as it used to so many years ago, but instead she felt warmth.**

** "You survived? You stayed with the house. Why didn't you ever come back to see me? I know now how much I've missed you. I've always felt there was something missing." Lucy looked over at the bed. "What's happened to me?" **

** "Lucy, you're crossing over." Adam reached out his hand and for the very first time, she felt the touch of his fingers against her skin. **

** "How can I feel you?" She looked down and wound her fingers around his.**

** "I've been waiting for you, Lucy. They weren't happy with me, but you left me no choice.**

** Lucy looked up into his smiling eyes and felt nothing but pure love.**

** "They?"**

** "Over there." He motioned behind him and Lucy blinked. A white light had appeared in the hall beyond the bedroom door. Standing in the light was four distinct silhouettes.**

** "Don't tell me," she said excitedly. "Your family!"**

** "Yes. They were a bit annoyed when they came to fetch me fifty odd years ago and I told them they had to wait a little longer."**

** "For what?"**

** "For you, of course. They didn't mind though, because of what you did for us."**

** "What did I do?"**

** "You preserved our legacy. The Cartwright name and restored our honor. My honor."**

** She blushed and smiled. "I didn't do much. You did the hard work. I just made it known."**

** "No small task. And I want to thank you as well."**

** "Oh?" Lucy moved closer to his torso and marveled when she felt the solid wall of his chest against her.**

** "I want to thank you for letting me experience falling in love long after I had a right to do so."**

** She tilted her head up at him and held her breath.**

** He leaned down and kissed her on the lips. She felt a searing heat, an overwhelming love, a bond she'd never had before. She felt whole, complete and blissfully happy.**

"**Come, my love."**

** He took her hand firmly in his and they walked toward the light. Lucy didn't look at her old, worn out body again. She was young again, and with Adam. And she was loved. She held him close as they melded into the heavens.**

** "Did you see that?"**

** Betty looked up at the house. "What?"**

** "A really bright light just shone from the second story window.**

** She smiled. He'd been waiting so long. And although she would miss him dearly, he was happy now. He had his Lucy, and she had him.**


End file.
